


The Meetings

by Emma89



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Zootopia (2016), Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-09-11 16:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8998807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma89/pseuds/Emma89
Summary: This story follows a single bunny mother and a tiger, from the moment Judy sees them on the bus. It explores the difficulties they face in an increasingly hostile city as pred/prey tension rises in the wake of the savage attacks.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This was first posted on my Tumblr back in October, but I have realised that its more reader-friendly if I post it here. We may only have seen these two nameless characters for a few seconds in the movie, but the inspiration hit me like a freight train. I hope you enjoy what now I realise is a crack ship...

Tobias tried not to notice the way the rabbit mother pulled her kit protectively closer to her as he sat down beside them on the bus. He kept his eyes on his tablet, a lengthy news article on the bad state of the cooling systems in the older parts of Tundra Town open on it. Not that it interested him much, as he lived closer to Savanna Central, but it was one of the few articles that did not include another savage attack or some experts talking about the hidden savage tendencies in all predators.

With the way the media covered and portrayed this, virus or whatever it was, he could not blame the rabbit for her behaviour. Nevertheless, it stung like hell.  
Tobias stole a glance down at the rabbit mother, her ears was on high alert, eyes staring straight ahead. In the seat beside her was a brown grocery bag, mostly filled with a week’s worth of carrots he reckoned. Her kit, a girl about six, were giving him anxious looks, ears tucked behind her head. She probably did not fully understand what was going on, but understood enough to be afraid.

What was even going on? Quickly giving the mother and kit another glance, he could never imagine wanting to hurt them. Maybe if it was a virus, it acted like a fever, sending you into a frenzy, making you forget everything you are, lashing out at anything and everything around you. The big tiger shuddered, trying to concentrate again on the terrible state of the Tundra Town cooling pipes. But his concentration did not last for long.

The mother was about his age he noticed, early thirties, with warm beige fur, bordering on grey. She was wearing a peach-coloured dress and cardigan, accessorized with a simple green oval pendant. She looked… neat, well kept. He imagined her working at the front desk at some office, maybe government.

When the bus reached his stop, Tobias realised they were going off at the same stop. As the mother held her kit’s paw tightly while they walked down towards Savanna Central, he decided to hang back, buy himself a can of soda or something. He did not want her to think he was following them.

Slipping his tablet into his back pocket, Tobias sighed. He could feel cautious eyes on him as he ploughed through the crowd in the busy square. Thankfully most of them where mammals his size, he did not feel as out of place as he would in the “smaller” parts of Zootopia. Still, he was a tiger, and the mammals who passed him where mostly of the antelope species, some zebras and giraffes. He stood out, now more than ever.

It was quite hot in Savanna central today, and after aimlessly walking around for a while, Tobias found himself drawn to a small pawstickle cart manned by a tiny fennec fox. Something cold wold be nice.

“Hey kid” the fennec said over the cart. He was standing on a box to be able to see over it. “I told you; if you ain’t buying, get lost! Go back to your momma”

Tobias angled his head, getting a better look at the kid. His ears perked as he recognised the kit from the bus, minus her mother this time.

“I-I can’t find her” the tiny bunny said meekly, her eyes shiny with the beginning of tears.

“Ain’t my problem” the fennec replied, though the coldness in his voice was not so convincing.

“Where did you see her last?” 

The tiny bunny spun around at the sound of Tobias’ deep voice behind her. Even standing on one knee, he was towering over her. For a moment, he was afraid she would take of screaming into the crowd, but she stood her ground, holding her paws around herself.

“T-the f-fountain” she sniffled. Drying her twitching nose on her sleeve.

Tobias nodded, wondering if it was best if he hailed a police officer or security guard to help the lost kit, but after a quick look around the crowd, he could not find either. And the fennec behind the cart was not likely to be of any assistance.

“I could follow you back there, and we could look for her together?” he offered.

The kit looked up at him with big eyes, her droopy ears had perked just a little, but as if she remembered something, they dropped again. Tobias could only imagine what that could be, besides the usual stranger-danger mantra.  
Reaching out his paw, which was bigger than her head, he offered her a handshake.

“I’m Tobias” he smiled. The bunny hesitated for a moment, before reaching out her own tiny paw, closing it around his index finger.

“Lilly” she said, her voice still low.

“Hi Lilly” Tobias tried to speak in a softer tone than usual, knowing her sensitive hearing probably found his baritone unpleasant. 

“Would you like me to help you find your mother?” 

Lilly nodded, her ears perking up a little again.  
As Tobias rose back to his feet, it struck him that with a few exceptions, Lilly was easily the smallest mammal in the central. Her mother was not much taller, he realized. An idea popped into his head, and he knelt down again by the tiny bunny.

“Tell you what” he said with a friendly smile. “What if you climb on my shoulder, that way you can look for your mother, and it will be easier for your mother to see you”

A look of contemplation played over the bunny’s face as she gave him an onceover, while pondering the advantages of a tiger sized lookout tower. Then her ears perked to full height and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Hey!” Tobias chuckled as the tiny bunny jumped onto his shoulder in one leap. They were not kidding about rabbits and their ability to jump.

Lilly comfortably sat down on his right shoulder, her paw in a firm grip on the collar of his plum coloured polo shirt.

“Alright, here we go. Tell me if you see her alright?” Tobias started to make his way towards the fountain.

If he had gotten many looks before, he got even more now. A giant bengal tiger with a tiny bunny on his shoulder. But he could not help to smile as he worked his way through the crowd, feeling the small adorable (adorable was allowed to say right?) bunny shifting on his shoulder as she looked around the crowd for her mother. Tobias did the same, scanning the crowd for a pair of beige ears and peach coloured cardigan.

“Lilly!” an anxious voice carried over the crowd.

“Mom!”

Tobias turned in the direction of the voice, seeing a pair of beige ears making their way towards them. Lilly had already jumped back down from his shoulder, meeting her mother half way. 

She embraced her daughter tightly, closing her eyes against her head, before holding her at arm’s length. 

“Don’t run away from me like that Lilly! I have told you a hundred times.”

“I just wanted a pawstickle…” Lilly apologized meekly. “And nothing bad happened, Tobias helped me find you” Lilly turned her smiling face back to Tobias.

Her mother looked up at the large tiger standing in front of her, the look of recognition that played over her face made Tobias a little uncomfortable.

“Hi” he gave a small awkward wave, before putting his paws back in his pockets.

The mother stood up, and grasping Lilly’s paw, she walked over to him with a tentative look on her face. Tobias thought for a moment that she might berate him or something. Instead she shifted her groceries over to her other arm, extending her free paw to him.

“Thank you”  
Her paw disappeared entirely into his own large paw, her silky soft fur brushing against his palm. “For finding Lilly”

“No problem” he smiled down at her, giving her paw a careful shake. “Tobias Bengal” he introduced.

“Hazel, Hazel Burrow”

Hazel. He thought the name suited her; it was the same colour as her eyes.


	2. Second Meeting

Another Monday over, another week just beginning.

Tobias leaned his head against the cold window, absentmindedly watching the city flow by as the bus made its way towards Savanna Central. There had been another attack today; a lynx in Tundratown, critically wounding two beavers before the police managed to tie her down. 32 attacks in total now, the news anchor had stated. How she managed to say that number with a calm and steady voice was beyond him. 

Tobias did not feel at all calm or steady; there had been five attacks just this past week. He had begun to feel the tension at work now, one of the clerks, a sheep, had refused to take the elevator with him this morning. He had been polite about it, saying he needed to take the stairs more, patting his belly as he said it. Tobias knew the real reason though. Locked in a small cramped metal box with a tiger? Not a smart move these days.

“This seat taken?” a soft voice drew him out of his gloomy thoughts.

“No-” he turned to look straight into a pair of warm, hazelnut coloured eyes. 

“Hi” he said in a surprised exhale.

“Hello again” Hazel smiled as she sat down beside him, her daughter jumping up after her. “Mr. Bengal, wasn’t it?”

“Toby” he corrected, still a little taken aback.   
“Everyone just calls me Toby”

“Toby the tiger!” Lilly exclaimed from her mother’s side, making a few heads turn their way.

“Lilly, indoor voice” Hazel reminded her daughter, sending Tobias an apologetic glance.

“That’s right” he chuckled “Toby the tiger”

He did not mind that at all. Lilly smiled widely back at him, her two big front teeth exposed to their full length. There really was no other appropriate word than adorable to describe this kit. His eyes shifted back to her mother, who were sitting with her paws folded neatly over the simple purse in her lap. Her ears were relaxed, softly falling down to just below her shoulder blades.

“Savanna market square” the generic voice declared over the speakers, making Tobias realise he had been staring.

A cacophony of noise met the passengers as they disembarked the buss. Hazel tightened her grip on Lilly’s hand as they reached the beginning of the market square. Tobias slowed down behind the two bunnies, his heart sinking as the scene before them unfolded.

About sixty protesters, all different prey species, but mostly antelope and other hooved mammals, were marching in a wide circle around the fountain in the middle of the square. Several of them had signs with different slogans, those who did not carry signs compensated with their clenched fists in the air. 

A big round sign especially stood out; it had the word Predator written in bold letters inside a red circle, an aggressive red line painted straight across it.  
On the top steps of the fountain, a kudu was holding a megaphone, yelling out at the crowd marching around him.

“If I say predator, you say:”

“Savage!” the protesters answered in unison.

“What do we want?”

“Preds out of Zootopia!”

The chant went on as the protesters effectively blocked Tobias’ usual shortcut through the square. He noticed Hazel also looking across the square; he remembered her and Lilly walking off towards the flower shop to the left of the fountain yesterday. She probably found herself with a blocked shortcut as well.  
There were many angry trampling hoofs out on that square. He wondered if she would be able to pass through at all.

“Are you-”  
“You gonna-”  
They said in unison, blinking at each other for an awkward moment before Tobias smiled carefully.

“Sorry, you first”

“Are-are you going to be alright?” Hazel asked, indicating with her eyes towards the angry crowd out on the square. 

“Oh” Tobias looked down at the concerned bunny. He had not expected that. 

“Yea, sure. I know a way around” he cleared his throat. “And you?”

“The same” she nodded towards the street behind her.

It was a detour, but she would be able to walk Lilly home without having to cross through the crowd.

“Right” he nodded, casting another glance towards the anti-pred protesters, some of them were sending him and the few other predators hostile glances as they passed.  
“I better get home” he nodded a goodbye at Hazel, adding a little wave to Lilly.

“Bye Toby!” she waved back with her free paw. He suspected she would have used both if her mother had not held on to the other.

He managed to get three steps before Hazel’s soft voice called after him.

“Tobias. I mean Toby!” He turned around to find her still standing on the edge of the square, eyes sincerely on his. “I just want you to know, this whole thing, I think it’s awful”

Tobias did not know what to say to that. That he agreed with the statement? That deep inside, though he did not show it, this, whatever it was, scared him?

Rather insufficiently, he ended up with a simple “Thanks”. 

Hazel gave him a quick nod and wary smile, before turning towards the small street behind her. Lilly gave him one last wave, shooting the protesting crowd in the square curious looks as they walked down the pavement.

Tobias watched them turn the corner before he started making his way to his own apartment, walking in a big semi-circle to be as far away from the protesters on the square as possible. However, he could still hear their chants as he walked down the street to his apartment building.

“If I say predator, you say:”

“SAVAGE!”


	3. Third Meeting

“You speciest bastards!”  
“Well, my species ain’t the one mauling kits!”

Hazel had hoped that the protestors would be gone the next morning. No such luck. Instead, they seemed to have grown in number during the night, and a spontaneous counter protest was forming in front of the fountain. The kudu was more vocal than ever, exchanging insults with a cheetah on the front line in the counter protest. It was a mix of all species, but mostly predators. Some were holding Pred Pride signs.

Clutching her purse tightly, she thanked the heavens that Lilly was riding to school with the Grazers this morning. Hazel would have taken the detour around the square, but she was already late. Securing the lid on her travel mug, she set her eyes on the bus stop behind the growing crowd. She was much smaller than most of them, darting around their legs unseen should be easy, though she was not as agile as she had been in her teens. Keeping her head down, Hazel made her way across the square.

 _Don’t notice me, don’t notice me, don’t notice me, please don’t notice-_  
“Heeeey cutie, where you goin’ in such a hurry?” _oh no._

Two weasels hanging a little behind the others blocked her way just as she made clear of the protests. One of them was especially scruffy looking, his white tank top full of yellow and brown stains. They did not seem to be a part of the counter protest, and she got the distinct sinking feeling that these two characters were just waiting for trouble.

“Yea bunny-bun, this’ where all the fun’s at” The scruffy looking weasel took a step to the side, mirroring her movement as she tried to dart around him.

“Excuse me, but I need to get to work” Hazel kept her eyes on the cobblestones on the ground, not wanting to look up. Her best tactic would be to avoid confrontation.

“Dw-aaaaw” the other weasel said mockingly. “Aren’t you cute”

Her head snapped up before she could think it through properly.  
“Don’t call me cute”

“Ooooh, feisty AND cute” the weasel moved up in front of her, his stinky breath in her face. Needle sharp teeth lined his gums, and she felt her heart rate quicken. That had been a mistake.

“Not afraid of preds this one eh?”

“Wouldn’t say that Marty” the scruffy weasel replied. “The way her nose’ twitchin’, I’ll say she’s scared pretty bad. Aren’t you cutie?”

He stepped up beside the one named Marty, flashing a sly toothy smile that made her fur stand up on her back.  
Her mind was darting around, trying to find a solution. If she ran, would they follow? Probably not, but then again, she was not fast enough to dart around them, she had already tried that. She could scream, but with the tension between the protesting groups, the result of that would be disaster, and the weasels had not really done anything to her. Yet. Maybe they wanted her to call out for help. Maybe that was exactly the trouble they were looking for.

“Afraid we’re gonna eat ya?” Marty taunted. Leaning right up into her face, he snapped his jaws in front of her nose, making her jump backwards.

Hazel backed right into something firm and warm, knocking her coffee right out of her paw. The mug bounced once on the ground, before the lid came off, spilling her coffee over the sand coloured cobblestones.

“What’s going on here?” a baritone voice rumbled behind her.

The two weasels looked up at the mammal she had collided with, seemingly growing a little uncertain.

“Nothing you need to worry ‘bout stripes” the scruffy one spat, though not so sure of himself now that someone larger than him had stepped onto the scene.

“Yea, we were just having a little conversation, at’s all” Marty shrugged.

Glancing up behind her, Hazel’s breath hitched in surprise as she recognised Tobias glaring down at the two weasels. He looked angry, and she did not like to admit it, but it fuelled her already fired up flight- instincts even more.

“How about you two go have a “conversation” somewhere else” Tobias said sternly.

Marty seemed to get the message, his neck almost disappearing between his shoulders as he took a step back, ready to dart in the opposite direction. His mate however, was not one to be bossed around by some random feline, no matter the size advantage.

“Mind your own business stripes” he snarled, shifting his bulging eyes back to Hazel. “Me and cutie here were just startin’ to get along”

Hazel backed away from the weasel until her back hit Tobias' thigh, her head reaching just above his hips. He was so much larger than she was, and she could feel herself start to hyperventilate as her mind reacted to being trapped between three predators. She tried to force her breathing through her nose to calm down, but fear was a difficult thing to control.

“Oy Rick” Marty whispered to the scruffy weasel, eyes darting nervously up to the tiger in front of them. “Leave it man”

“Nah” Rick replied, keeping eye contact with Tobias. “Big bad tiger like you, ain’t gonna risk a scene out here, not now” his eyes darted to the protests behind them.

Hazel just then realised that the ruckus from the opposing protests had drowned in the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears.

Rick took a challenging step closer, a sleazy grin on his face.  
A sound not unlike the revving of an engine vibrated behind her, sending shivers down her spine. Then the faint, but unmistakable sound of claws unsheathing beside her, threatened to make her faint.  
It clearly had the same effect on the two weasels. Marty abandoned every notion of camaraderie, taking the every man for himself route as he darted off into one of the side- streets.

Rick froze where he was, eyes wide as he held his paws up defensively.  
“C-calm down” he stuttered. “I-I was just joking man, relax” he said while slowly backing away, before turning on a dime, disappearing after his buddy.

Hazel stumbled away from Tobias, knees shaking as she tucked her cardigan tighter around herself. Turning around, she half expected to see him snarling at her. Instead, she met a pair of concerned amber eyes looking down at her.

“You alright there Hazel?” there was not even a hint of a growl in his voice as he spoke, and his paws were soft and clawless again. In spite of all this, her pulse was still racing, her eyes darting around for an escape she really did not need anymore.

“Yes” she managed, her eyes finding her discarded travel mug on the ground. She went over to retrieve it, but as she did, Tobias bent down to pick it up for her. The unexpected movement at the edge of her vision made her dodge to the side, losing her balance, falling straight on her tail.

“Hazel-?” Tobias crouched down in front of her, her empty mug in one paw, holding out the other to help her back to her feet.

“Mam, is this tiger bothering you?”  
A sharp looking zebra in a suit stopped beside her, eyeing Tobias suspiciously.

“No, no, thank you” Hazel said in a shaky voice while frantically shaking her head. Grabbing her mug from Tobias, she left his other outstretched paw hanging in the air as she got to her feet on her own.  
With her heart still hammering in her chest and nose twitching uncontrollably, she turned and darted passed the sceptical zebra.

Finally reaching the bus stop, Hazel jumped on the first bus she saw, not even bothering to check if it was the correct one.

Standing alone on the square in front of an ever-growing mass of protesters, Tobias watched in hurt and confusion as the bus Hazel had gotten on drove off. He could feel the glares of other mammals on him, sinking into his back like stinging needles.


	4. Fourth Meeting

34.

Zootopia now counted 34 savage attacks. The number marked the first double attack, two wolves in a library down town. One of them had been an off duty police officer.  
Tobias quickened his pace, his paw tightening around his recyclable shopping bag. No one felt safe anymore, and prey had stopped being discreet about avoiding predators. The worried glances and the mammals changing their path to avoid him “just in case”, got to him more than it should. Probably because of the incident this morning.

Had he overreacted? The claws had strictly speaking not been necessary; two low life weasels did not pose any real threat to him. But they had to Hazel, and that had set off an unexpectedly strong urge to bare teeth and show claws and be just as threatening as he could be. Not a good urge to have in at a time when everyone was nervously watching predators for any sign of aggression.

The image of Hazel sitting on the ground, looking at him wide-eyed and terrified had struck a chord that still sounded through him.  
Walking deep in his own thoughts, the big tiger ignored the scrawny antelopes that dodged out of his way as he turned the corner of the last block before his apartment building. Casually glancing up at the busy pavement in front of him, he stopped dead in his tracks as a pair of familiar beige ears caught his attention.

Hazel emerged from a bookstore down the street with Lilly in tow. The latter eagerly flipping through a picture book while babbling away.  
Before he had time to react, a pair of hazelnut-coloured eyes met his through the mass of mammals, widening as they recognised him. Tobias made to turn around, deciding to double back and take another route home to leave her alone.

Hazel clutched her paw to her chest, as if she had been about to motion for him to wait, but changed her mind last minute. 

Halfway in his turn, a high-pitched squeal cut through the crowd on the sidewalk.  
“Toby! Toby! Toby!”

Before he knew it, a pair of tiny arms embraced his leg just above the knee.  
Hazel hurried after her daughter through the crowd, trying her best to ignore the judging looks she was getting for allowing her daughter to act so recklessly.

“Hi Lilly” Tobias said softly.

Cautious of his surroundings, he did not crouch down towards the tiny bunny, but let her hug his leg however long she seemed fitting. When she was satisfied with her unbashful show of affection, she jumped back, beaming up at him.

“We’re on our way to the park, wanna come too?”

“Sweetie, I think maybe Toby has other things to do”

Hazel lay a paw on her daughters shoulder, and even though she tried, she could not manage to meet the tigers gaze. Tobias noticed her unwillingness to meet his eyes, and it stung. He wished he could apologize for this morning, but struggled to find the right words while her daughter was there.

“Yea, sorry” he said instead, clearing his throat. “On my way home”

Lilly’s ears drooped down, and she looked at him with eyes that seemed to double in size.

“Can’t you come with us for a little bit?” she pleaded.

Tobias looked down at Hazel again, this time she managed to meet his eyes, giving him the tiniest of smiles.

“I could walk you there?” he offered.

He still was not sure if Hazel would want to have him near her at all. If she did not, he would leave as soon as they got to the park.

“Yay!” Lilly exclaimed, doing a little jump as she did, before landing with eyes big on Tobias. 

“Can I sit on your shoulder again? Please?”

With that, the odd trio made their way to the park with Lilly perched on Tobias’ left shoulder, enjoying watching other mammals pass beneath her for once. Tobias kept glancing down at Hazel. She was walking by his side in silence, her eyes cast down on the pavement. She seemed subdued, only occasionally nodding or smiling up at Lilly, who were blabbering away about everything she could see from her new vantage point. 

The park was not more than a five-minute walk from Savanna market square. With a large playground, sprinklers and palm trees lining every path, it was a welcome break from the bustling metropolitan parts of Zootopia.

“And here’s your stop little lady” Tobias said while kneeling down to let the little bunny jump off. Lilly’s paws had not even hit the grass before she swirled to her mother, her big front teeth exposed in a wide grin.

“Can we get ice cream now?”

“Oh, sweetie, you’ve already gotten a book today, and…” 

Tobias understood from the way Hazel suddenly shifted her purse and the apologetic tone in her voice that this was not the usual issue of kits and too much ice cream. It was not his place to interfere, and he did not want it to seem like she was some charity case to him, but he could not help it either way.

“You know what” he said, still kneeling down in front of the two bunnies. “I just remembered that I owe you a coffee, so why don’t I pick up an ice cream while I’m in there?” he nodded to the nearby coffee shop.  
There was a big ice cream shaped sign hanging above the door, proudly advertising that they carried ten different flavors, in addition to their six original coffee blends. 

“Oh, you don’t have to-” 

“Thank you Toby!”

Hazel shot Tobias an apologetic look. If Lilly got it in her head that she was getting ice cream, there was no telling her otherwise.

“Why don’t you wait on that bench” he nodded towards a bunny-sized bench by the playground. “I’ll be right back”

In spite of the nice weather and busy park, the coffee shop was quiet. Noticing the bear behind the counter, he understood why. There was a look of mutual understanding between the owner and Tobias. No other words than the usual exchange between customer and barista took place, but there still was a feeling of solidarity in those mundane words.  
Tobias left a couple of dollars in the meager tip-jar before leaving with his ice cream and two coffees.

Not before walking up to the two bunnies waiting on the bench did he realize his mistake. Lilly’s eyes went saucer-wide, a look of pure childish joy on her face. Hazel covered her smile with her paw, unable to conceal her amusement.

“I-I forgot to ask for the right size” Tobias realized aloud. 

Tough the ice cream cone he was holding was perfect for an adult tiger or bear, the scoops of ice cream was nearly the same size as Lilly’s head. He wondered if she would be able to carry it at all.

“I’ll get another one” he quickly added, slightly embarrassed with himself. 

“No!” Lilly exclaimed, not wanting to let what she was sure was a once in a lifetime opportunity get away.

“Sweetie, you can’t finish the whole ice cream by yourself” Hazel reasoned.

“Yes I can!”

“You’ll get a tummy-ache”

“No I won’t!”

“It’ll melt before you finish”

“I’ll share it! Please mom!”

Lilly was looking from the tiger to her mother with pleading eyes, her paws shaking with excitement.  
Hazel and Tobias exchanged an uncertain glance, before Hazel sighed and shook her head in defeat.

“At least let me get a few extra spoons”  


Holding the giant ice cream cone with both arms, and with her pockets stuffed with extra plastic spoons, Lilly eagerly made her way over to the playground. 

“Christy! Gordy! Look what I’ve got!”  
She quickly became busy handing out spoons as almost every other kit, lamb, piglet and fawn on the playground swiftly surrounded her.

Hazel laughed a warm motherly laugh as she watched her daughter on the playground, giving Tobias a thankful smile.  
Even with Tobias sitting on the grass beside the bench, Hazel found herself dwarfed by the tiger who was easily two heads above her still.

“Here” Tobias said, handing her the coffee. Hazel had to hold the large brew in both paws, and she could not help but giggle at how ridiculous it looked. Tobias found the unexpected giggle to be very flattering on her; it made her seem ten years younger.

“I think you’ve covered my caffeine intake for the rest of the week with this”

“Yea” he chuckled. “I forgot about the size difference, sorry”

Hazel took a sip of the cup before resting it in her lap. It looked just right in Tobias paw, but she reckoned each cup held about 60 oz.

“I’m sorry to” she said carefully. “About this morning”

Tobias shifted his weight uncomfortably, holding his coffee with both paws as he leaned his arms on his knees.

“I wanted to apologize for that” he said looking down on his coffee. “The claws weren’t necessary. I could tell they frightened you, and I don’t want that” he said, glancing up at her.

Her ears where hanging down again, softly falling down her back. Hazel absentmindedly ran her paw over her head, draping her ears over her right shoulder. Tobias was stuck by how inexplicably sensual that gesture was.

“I didn’t mean to run, I just-” Hazel looked up to meet his eyes. “I was scared, and it’s like I can’t think straight when I’m scared. All I want to do is to run, to escape” she said, looking down again in embarrassment. “You must think that’s so stupid”

“Not at all” he said sincerely.

She smiled a little at that, grateful that he did not ridicule her for her typical small prey instinct. Hazel wondered if Tobias was ever afraid of anything. Looking over at his large frame and strong arms, she doubted it.

“Thank you, but it was ungrateful of me. You did help me out of that-” she hesitated a bit while looking for the right words. “- Uncomfortable situation, and I knew, I know, you were no threat, but I still ran. I’m sorry”

Tobias felt an unexpected wave of warmth spread through his chest as Hazel looked up at him with honest trusting eyes. He did not know if she was aware of how much those words meant to him right now. She had to be the only prey in Zootopia that did not think of him as a possible threat.

“You don’t need to apologize” he said, keeping his eyes on hers.

“Neither do you” she replied.

They shared a warm smile before their conversation was interrupted by a rather pale looking Lilly.

“Mom, I wanna go home”

Hazel quickly set her coffee aside, jumping down from the bench towards her daughter.

“What’s the matter sweetie? We’ve not even been here for half an hour”

“I don’t feel good” Lilly mumbled, holding her paws over her tummy.

“Oh sweetie” Hazel said, shaking her head. “I told you you’d get a tummy-ache if you tried eating it all”

“I did share…” Lilly said meekly, her ears drooping. 

“And that was very kind of you” Hazel said, running her paw over her drooping ears.

“I think we better get home” she said, turning to Tobias.

Tobias could not help but feel that he was at least partly to blame for Lilly’s pale nose and droopy ears. He was the one who had bought the ice cream after all. But before he could apologize again, Hazel shook her head with a knowing smile.

“It’s not the first time” she whispered, making Tobias smile.

Getting Lilly to walk home proved to be a difficult task, as all the tiny bunny wanted was to lay down and sleep. Hazel did not want to admit it, but Lilly had grown too big for her to carry all the way to their apartment building. Regardless, she picked her up and let her rest her head on her shoulder. She would just have to take a couple of breaks on the way.

“I could-” Tobias begun, seeing Hazel strain her arms to hold her daughter comfortably.

“You’ve done so much already, I couldn’t ask you to-”

“I don’t mind” Tobias said, holding out his large paw.

“You’re sure we’re not keeping you?”

“Hazel, I really don’t mind” he assured her.

Hesitating for just a moment, Hazel carefully put Lilly down in his large paw. Tobias marveled at how tiny she was; he could almost fit her entire body in his palm. Gently laying her head on his forearm, he leaned his paw against his chest, effectively creating a hammock for her to lay in. Lilly sleepily turned her head to his chest, snuggling against his shirt.

He could not help but smile down on her tiny form. He stood corrected, there were two prey in Zootopia that did not see him as a threat, and this one tugged at his heartstrings with her tiny paws.

Seeing Tobias carefully cradle her daughter in his large paw made something stir in Hazel’s chest. She had been alone with Lilly for so long, that having someone else helping her felt strange and unusual. Yet it was nice feeling.

If she had gotten judging looks before, it was nothing compared to what she got now. Walking alongside Tobias towards the market square, she could feel the suspicious and judging glares on them. It made the fur on her neck stand up. But she forced her ears to stay high and perky, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

“You would think I was carrying her between my teeth” Tobias mumbled down to her.

“It’s not much further now” she promised.

She led him on her now usual detour to avoid crossing the square. The protestors where still going at it, and judging by the volume of the rallying calls, they had grown even more in numbers since this morning.

Hazel and Lilly lived in a small early century brick building that had seen better days. The yellow plasterwork was flaking off in several places, exposing the brick underneath it. Some of the windows had cracks that seemed to have been there forever, and the main door was wide open, creaking as it hung from only one hinge. At least the street seemed clean, and the mammals on it were mostly elderly, with a few youngsters in-between. And mostly prey, Tobias noted.

The flimsy front door hanging open gave him an uneasy feeling to his stomach, and Hazel caught him staring at it. 

“We’ve asked the landlord to repair it, but it’s been a couple of months now” she explained.

“You should have a lockable front door” Tobias said, his concern apparent in his voice. “Especially now”

“We live on the third floor, and I have two extra locks on my door” Hazel said reassuringly, holding out her arms for him to place Lilly in. 

Tobias furrowed his brows, but did not say anything else, instead carefully kneeling down and placing the sleeping bunny kit in Hazels arms.

“Thank you Toby” she whispered, as not to wake Lilly. “For everything today”

“Anytime”

Tobias reached out with his index finger and carefully brushed it against Lilly’s cheek, before standing up to his full height.

“You two take care”

“You too” Hazel said, giving him a meaningful look.

Tobias gave her a short nod, acknowledging the unspoken meaning behind the words, before turning to walk back down the street.  
Even though he knew the milk in his shopping bag had probably gone bad by now after this long out in the sun, he did not mind nor did he care.


	5. Fifth Meeting

Being partly nocturnal had its advantages.  Most prey were diurnal, which meant Tobias could hit the gym in peace without as many suspicious looks and the comments that had begun accompanying them.  

“I’m sorry, but our other costumers would feel more comfortable if you-” or “We reserve our right to refuse service-” or just the plain “We don’t want your type here”

He could not change his rhythm completely; however, the thought was becoming increasingly tempting. He still had to go to work in the morning, though he grimly wondered how much longer he would have a job to go to.  At least the late night workouts got the frustration out of his system.

Tobias opened a can of tuna with the claw on his index finger. His fur was still damp from the shower, so he had not cared with putting on anything else than loose sweatpants and a T-shirt.  
Reaching for a fork, he started eating the fish straight from the can. It was not really like him, but he could not be bothered to make a sandwich this late. Gulping the tuna down with a mouthful of water from his bottle, he switched on the TV out of habit.

He did not really watch TV anymore, and as the twelve o’clock news filled his living room, he was reminded of why.

“- another savage attack. Our reporter Buck is with us live from Savanna Central”

Tobias froze with a forkful of tuna halfway to his mouth.

“Thank you Fabienne”

The screen swiftly changed, leaving the snow leopard news anchor in the top left corner of the screen. The remaining screen changed to show a young caribou standing in front of the fountain in the Savanna Market Square. The dimly lit square behind the reported filled with the flashing red and blue from emergency vehicles somewhere off screen. Tobias felt like someone had poured ice-cold water down his spine.   
  


“Witnesses say the tiger was part of a large protest that have been taking place right here on this square for the past week”   
  
“Can you tell us anything about the extent of this attack?”  
  
“Well Fabienne, the savage tiger attacked both protestors and bystanders. Luckily the ZPD where swift to arrive at the scene”

Buck stepped to the side to allow a better shot of the square behind him. Several EMT’s were running over to mammals sitting or lying down on the ground, some were already moved inside the ambulances.   
Heavily armed ZPD officers were securing the square, clearing away the remaining of the crowd that had not already scattered. The camera-guy made a point of zooming in on a bloodied protest sign on the ground, reading _Preds out of Zootopia._

Tobias found himself searching the mammals in the background, looking for someone he hoped he would not see. _There is no way-_ he thought- _They wouldn’t be out this late. She wouldn’t-_

“Thus far, the ZPD has reported 11 injured. The condition appears to be especially critical for a zebra and a young rabbit” The camera panned out, capturing two EMT’s rushing towards one of the ambulances with a gurney between them. A pair of beige, bloodstained ears were hanging limply over the edge.

“Police are still hunting down the savage tiger, and urges citizens to stay inside their homes”

“Thank you Buck. This grim event marks the 40th savage attack since the attacks where linked to traditionally predatory animals by-”

A tin of half-eaten tuna rolled over the soft rug in the empty living room until coming to a stop against the coffee table.

* * *

The air was burning in his lungs as he ran towards Savanna Market Square. Tobias could hear the growing blaring of sirens as he closed in, the walls of the surrounding buildings alive with the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles.

He was about to turn down the last street-corner when he skidded to a stop, his frantic mind able to find some common sense in the middle of everything. Running straight for a group of heavily armed police officers was not a good idea on the best of days. It was an even worse idea now.   
He stood panting and indecisive for a couple of long seconds, before spinning around, taking off down a parallel street.

Tobias sprinted down the empty street towards the flaky yellow apartment building. He would check their apartment first. If they were not at home, he would allow himself to panic and charge recklessly towards the market square.

The useless front door was still hanging off its hinges, allowing Tobias to run straight into the building He took the stairs in four steps at a time, ignoring the burning sensation in his thighs.

On the third floor, a long hallway ran the length of the building, and he realised he had no idea where Hazel and Lilly lived.   
The hallway smelled of old carpet, mould and prey. Too many scents for him to pick up anyone specific.   
Acting on a hunch, he ran down the hallway to his left, his eyes jumping from door to door. It would have been easier if the doors had been different sizes, indicating the species’ living behind them. Unfortunately, every door was the same standard medium mammal size.

Finally, he spotted a small carrot shaped door sign with _The Burrows_ ‘ written on it in a childish handwriting.

Tobias was going at such speed down the hallway that he had to grab the door-frame to stop himself from running straight past it. The momentum made him slam into the door chest first with a loud bang. Indifferent to the disturbance he was causing in the middle of the night, Tobias proceeded to pound his fist against the door, shaking it in its frame.

“Hazel!”He roared.   
“Hazel! Are you in there?”

He stood with his heart in his throat, breathlessly listening for a reply.

At first, all he could hear was the distinct crackling sound of electricity coming from inside, before a hesitant, muffled voice sounded through the door.

“Toby?”  
Tobias felt relief flood through him as Hazel’s voice reached him.  
“Hazel, are you alright? Is Lilly with you?” he leaned his forehead against the door, his voice lowering back to normal as he spoke.  
“Yes, just-just wait a moment”

The crackling electrical sound disappeared, and as he leaned against the door, Tobias could hear the soft metallic clicks as Hazel opened the security locks on the other side.

She opened the door wide, allowing the warm light from her apartment to flow out into the dim hallway. If hearing her voice had made him relieved, seeing her standing unharmed in front of him was comforting beyond measure.

She was wearing a light lilac cotton robe, seemingly hurriedly thrown on over her nightgown and tied unevenly at her waist. Tobias suddenly realised that he was banging on her door in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but a pair of worn sweatpants and an old t-shirt himself. What was more; he had probably woken all her neighbours by now with his pounding and roaring.

“I-I saw the news” he said, feeling the need to explain himself. “I thought I saw- But you’re alright so-” his stuttering explanation was interrupted by the sound of several doors unlocking down the hallway.  
Hazel’s ears perked up as a look of alarm played across her face. Swiftly grabbing Tobias’ paw, she urging him inside, as she was not exactly strong enough to pull him.

His tail disappeared around the door-frame just before a bleeting voice carried down the hallway.

“Hazel, what on earth is going on?”  
“Do you know what time it is?” another neighbour chimed in.

“I’m sorry Mrs Grazer” Hazel said. She was poking her head out through a narrow gap in the door, keeping it nearly closed to conceal Tobias behind her.   
“It’s just a concerned friend” she explained.

Now that he was inside, Tobias discovered the source of the electrical buzz he had heard earlier. A purple fox tazer was sitting on the small dresser by the door.   
Though it would sting something fierce, Tobias doubted that it would have any real effect on anything larger than a badger. It would most likely just anger a larger attacker even more.

“No, It won’t happen again. Good night” Hazel assured the neighbours as she closed the door, turning towards Tobias again. She tugged her robe a little tighter over her chest, glancing uncertainly up at the tiger standing in her small apartment.

Tobias ran his paw over the back of his neck, feeling the awkwardness of the situation now that the fear and worry was gone.

“I’m sorry” he finally managed.

Hazel shook her head, pressing her lips together in a half smile.  
“It’s fine, everyone is just a little jumpy-”

Unlike his own, Hazel’s apartment did not have a hallway. The doorway opened up right into the combined kitchen and living room. Taking up most of the room was a sofa and a comfortable armchair arranged around a worn coffee table. The TV was on mute, ZNN still showing footage from the night’s attack.

In one end of the sofa, a pile of different sized pillows was stacked in a heap with a knitted blanked thrown over the top. At the sound of the two grown-ups talking, it started to move, before a pair of big light-brown eyes peeked out from under the blanket.

“Toby!” Lilly jumped out from her makeshift fort at the sight of her favourite tiger and lookout tower. She was out of the sofa and hugging his leg in the blink of an eye.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” Tobias said half teasingly while reaching down to brush a careful knuckle over her head. It was astonishing how much he had grown to care for this little kit in such a short time.

“Can’t sleep” Lilly said, voice muffled against his sweatpants.

_The sirens-_ Hazel mouthed, nodding towards the living room window.

“You have nothing to be scared of in here” Tobias comforted her, keeping his knuckle lightly on the top of her head. The gesture made a warm smile spread across Hazel’s face.

“Are you going to stay and protect us?” Lilly said, looking up at him with large tired eyes.

“I-eh” Tobias shot Hazel a hesitant glance. She looked just as uncertain, tugging her robe around herself again.

“I just came by to see that you were safe” he explained just as much to Hazel as to Lilly. “And you are, so I’ll go home now”   
He made to move for the door when Hazel’s spoke, making him pause.

“Toby, wait” Hazel said with concern in her voice. “They’re still looking for a tiger”

Tobias hesitated with his paw on the door handle. Her choice of words were deliberate, _a tiger_. The streets were full of nervous trigger-happy police, and probably a few civilians looking to play hero. A savage tiger and a normal tiger looked just the same to them in the dimly lit streets at night.

“Don’t go Toby” Lilly said, her paw still holding his pant-leg. “There’s a dangerous tiger out there”

The true meaning of her mother’s words were lost to her, but Tobias felt a knot forming in his chest. There was a savage tiger loose, and their building had no front door. Their apartment door, extra security locks or not, was not going to hold for long if the tiger decided it wanted inside. Tobias had shook it in its frame just by knocking, if he had hit it with full force, he would have knocked it in on the first attempt

Just then, a police car with blasting sirens passed on the street outside, filling the small apartment with flashing blue and white lights. Tobias felt Lilly’s paws tightening their grip on his sweatpants

“I’ll stay with you”


	6. Sixth Meeting

“She went out like a light, poor thing” Hazel whispered after carefully closing the bedroom door behind her. It was nearly two in the morning. Lilly had only agreed to go to bed after Tobias promised he would sleep in front of their door to keep the monsters out.

Tobias sat awkwardly on their tiny couch, which was meant to room four bunnies, but only just accommodated one tiger. While Hazel had put Lilly to bed, he had watched the news in silence. The savage tiger had escaped down into the subway system, no telling when they would find him; it was a maze down there.

Three other mammals had been injured in the process. This was without a doubt the worst of the attacks in that regard. Tobias caught himself looking down at his own paws, studying his claws. They were thick and strong, and he always kept them trimmed, but sharp. A tiger’s pride, almost as important as his stipes. If he were to lash out, if he were to lose it and go crazy, go savage right now…

“You alright Toby?” Hazel had walked up to the sofa, and now she was standing beside him, looking up with concern in her eyes.

“Yea” he quickly seethed his claws. “The savage tiger escaped” he nodded to the muted TV.

Hazel just nodded, before leaning over the coffee table and switching off the TV .

“Would you like some tea?” she asked.   
Tobias was a little taken aback by the question. He had expected her to go to bed herself, but maybe she could not sleep. He knew he would not be able to sleep much tonight anyway.

“That would be nice” he smiled.

The kitchen was in one corner of the room, which served as both the kitchen and living room at once. A row of cupboards lined the wall above the kitchen bench and sink, a small fridge standing off to the side.

Hazel started the kettle and began taking out teacups when she paused, holding one of the cups between her paws.  
“I guess these will be too small for you, won’t they?” she said with a careful chuckle, holding up the cup for him to see. Tobias had to smile; it was barely big enough to room a mouthful.

“I’ll probably break them” he said, eyeing the fragile porcelain cup.

Hazel turned and looked through her cupboards, searching for something that could serve as a cup for a tiger. She did not hear Tobias get out of the couch, and nearly jumped when she heard him straight above her.

“What if I use this?”  
She looked up to see him holding one of her large soup bowls which she kept on the top shelf. It looked just the right size for a tea mug in his paw. She had to laugh at the thought of making someone tea in a soup bowl.

“That’ll work” she reached up as he handed her the bowl.

Being alone with Tobias in her small apartment made her truly appreciate how much bigger than her he was. His ears almost brushed against the ceiling when he stood up straight. Hazel wondered when the last time she had dusted the top of the cupboards was, worrying that Tobias would notice how dusty they were from his high vantage point.

She had not needed to worry. Tobias had no interest in the tops of her cupboards, he was instead finding himself paying attention to every little move Hazel was making. All her kitchen utensils, even her kettle, were amusingly miniature to him. She had to put three bunny-sized teabags in his “cup”.

Pausing for a moment, she seemed to be contemplating something, before getting out a dinner plate and using it as a saucer.

“Here you go” she held the tea up for him, not able to hide how amused she was by this situation.

“Thank you” Tobias rumbled, carefully taking it from her extended paws.

Hazel nestled up in the armchair with her own cup, leaving the sofa to Tobias. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the faint buzz coming from the city outside the living room windows. Zootopia never truly slept, and even now, sirens could be heard in the distance.

Hazel sat in the armchair with her feet tucked under herself. Her messily tied robe had slid open to reveal the top of her thigh, giving Tobias a glimpse of soft beige fur. When she dipped her head to blow her tea, her relaxed ears slipped over her shoulders, and Tobias was struck by the sudden urge to reach over and brush them behind her back.

He did not realise he had been staring before Hazel met his eyes with a questioning smile, making him nearly spill his tea in an effort to look casual.  
“How-” he cleared his throat as his voice broke. “How was Lilly doing? When you put her to bed” he clumsily tried to save himself.

“Oh, she’ll be alright tonight I think, much thanks to you” Hazel gave him a warm grateful smile.   
“She doesn’t like sleeping alone, she’ll sneak into my bed most nights” she added, smiling carefully into her tea. “It’s only natural I guess, being an only child”

“You don’t have any other kits?” Tobias asked conversationally, glad his save had worked.

Hazel got a pained look in her eyes, and Tobias wished he could have kept his mouth shut. Bunnies usually got five-seven kits in one go, hundreds of them in a lifetime. Hazel only had Lilly, and Tobias got a sick feeling to his stomach. Maybe she had had more kits, and then something terrible had happened. Maybe Lilly was the only one left after a horrible accident.

“No” Hazel said, though the pain was still apparent. “I only ever got Lilly, though we tried”

The _we_ did not escape Tobias. He had never thought about her being married, he had just assumed it was only her and Lilly. Taking a quick glance around the apartment, he found no apparent sign of a male living there with them.

“Husband?” He asked.  
“Not anymore” Hazel answered silently.

The images of a gruesome accident were Hazel lost her husband and Lilly her father played in his mind, and he desperately wanted to redo this whole conversation.

“Ah, look, I didn’t mean to pry into your personal life-” he begun, setting his tea down on the coffee table.  
“No it’s fine” she brushed off, straightening her back in the chair. Though the sad smile she gave him tugged at his large heart.   
“It’s been years. And it’s a wonder you didn’t ask earlier really. When do you ever see a bunny with just one kit?”

“Didn’t think about it to be honest. We tigers find even twins to be a pawfull”

Hazel gave a small chuckle, but kept her eyes on the tea in her paws. After a long stretch of silence, Tobias dared to speak again.

“So your husband, how did he-?”  
“He left” she said simply, taking a deep breath before meeting his gaze again. “Maybe it would have been easier if he died, but the truth is, he left”

Tobias sat baffled, and it must have showed, because Hazel continued to explain.

“We always wanted a large family. To move back to the Burrows, live in a big house. He’d take over the family farm.” Hazel had a distant look in her eyes as she remembered what had once been.   
“When I got pregnant we were so happy” Tobias could see Hazel’s eyes glazing over as she spoke.

“It ‘s unusual to get just one, but it happens. But then they told us I couldn’t have anymore and-” she blinked at the tears, quickly grabbing a napkin from the coffee table to dry them away.  
“He said it didn’t matter, but I knew it did. And after a year he wanted a divorce. He still sees her, on the holidays and birthdays and such, but he has 94 kits of his own now…”

Tobias could not imagine leaving Hazel in favour of taking care of 94 tiger cubs, but maybe that was just one of those things you had to be a bunny to understand.

Hazel sniffed and quickly dried her nose, looking up at him with large apologetic hazel eyes.  
“I’m sorry for being so sappy”

“Don’t be” he answered in a low rumble, looking down at her. “The way I see it, you’re not the one who should be apologizing for those tears”

Tobias imagined the satisfaction of looming over some scared, chubby carrot-farmer huddling in a corner. _Who’s crying now punk?_

“Thank you, but its water under the bridge” Hazel said, managing a small but genuine smile. “I guess this is a bunny-thing, being so emotional all the time” she said apologetically.

“My grandma used to say it was because you had less room to store emotions, so you had to let it out more often than us larger mammals” Tobias said, handing her another napkin.

“Utter nonsense of course” He added when he realised how speciest that must have sounded. To his relief Hazel laughed, accepting the napkin he was handing her.

“Sounds like something my grandma would say”

They shared a quiet laugh, careful not to wake Lilly. Hazel’s eyelids were starting to turn heavy over her eyes, and Tobias was just about to suggest they call it a night when she reached over to him, laying a gentle paw on his large forearm.

“Toby” she said, meeting his gaze. Her eyes were mild and warm, like an unexpected sunny day in the fall, and Tobias was slowly getting lost in their depths.   
“Thank you. For coming here tonight, and for staying. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Lilly, but this scares me, and having you here makes me feel safe”

Tobias felt an incredible happiness at her words, but at the back of his mind was a tiny speck of doubt that had grown bigger over the past week.  

“I thought it was you” he whispered, as if he was afraid the words would come true if he spoke to loud. “On the news, the bunny that had been attacked. I thought it was you”

Tobias carefully placed his own paw over hers on his forearm. It almost covered her arm all the way to her elbow, and he marvelled at how fragile it felt under his own.

“And I thought it was you” Hazel replied in an equal hushed voice. “I tried to convince myself it couldn’t be you, and when you showed up at my door I was so relieved, I-” she sounded almost ashamed of herself.

Tobias thought she had no reason to be ashamed; it was a reasonable assumption. Why mammals were turning savage was still a mystery, and he himself had started to doubt he was completely safe from whatever caused it. What had seemingly started out as some freak incidents had grown into an almost full-scale epidemic.

“I know” was all he said.

For a wonderful moment, Hazel’s fingers moved through the fur on his forearm as she slowly closed and opened her paw. There was a moment of an unspoken mutual understanding that made the faint sirens and noise of the city outside Hazel’s window grow even more distant.

The moment ended as Hazel removed her paw from Tobias’ gentle grasp, a timid smile on her lips.  
“It’s almost morning” she excused, rising from her chair. “I’ll get you some extra blankets”

“Of course, thank you”

Tobias had to blink a couple of times to snap out of whatever haze he had just been drawn into. The sensation of Hazel’s paw running through his fur still tingling on his arm.

The remains of Lilly’s pillow fort lay scattered on the carpet under the coffee table, and Tobias started picking up the pillows. Choosing a few to make himself comfortable, he stacked the rest in the now unoccupied armchair.  
As he readied the sofa for the few hours of sleep he had left before morning, his eyes fell on the purple fox replant still resting on the dresser by the door.

Being as silent as he could manage, he lifted the dresser out of the way, and carefully sat it down by the TV. Thankfully the sofa was of the cheaper type, probably from ITREEA, and therefore not especially heavy either. He easily lifted it up and placed it in front of the door, effectively blocking it. This way, he would at least get some forewarning if someone tried to break in.

Hazel walked in with a few neatly folded blankets in her arms, stopping in her tracks at the sudden rearrangement of her living room furniture.

“I’ll move it back in the morning” he promised. “It’s just- Your locks may be good, but your door isn’t.” He gave the door a demonstrative punch with his fist, making the chains of the security locks rattle.

Hazel nodded approvingly, handing him the blankets with an apologetic smile.  
“I don’t have any that’s big enough for you, so I got you a couple extra to be sure”  
“They’ll do fine, thank you”

She lingered in front of him, as if she wanted to say something else. She wrapped the now open robe around herself again, looking down at the worn floorboards between them.

“Good night then” she finally said.   
“Good night Hazel” Tobias replied softly, smiling reassuringly down at her.

Hazel returned his smile, before walking back to the door that lead to the bedrooms. Pausing with her paw on the door handle, she turned towards him again.

“Toby” she said silently. “Thank you”   
The pure sincerity and gratefulness in her voice made Tobias feel as if he was receiving something he was not meant to be having, and he almost did not manage to utter a reply.  
“Anytime”

Tobias stood watching the door as it closed behind her, letting go of a breath he did not know he had been holding. Laying down on the sofa with his legs hanging over one armrest, Tobias draped the blankets over himself and attempted to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

  
Outside, the faint buzz from the metropolis was increasing in strength as Zootopia prepared for the dawn that was already threatening on the horizon. 


	7. Seventh Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was actually one of the first scenes, after the scene with the weasels, that popped into my mind as I begun thinking about writing this.  
> We are now up to date with the chapters on my Tumblr, and you will have to wait until January for the next I'm afraid. Happy Holidays!

Being as quiet as she possibly could, Hazel prepared another pot of coffee. She usually only drank one half herself, but she figured she would need at least twice that to fill the soup bowl that had served as Tobias’ cup last night.

Taking a sip from her own mug, she shamelessly studied the tiger asleep on her couch. Tobias looked almost comical on her small couch, his limbs too large to fit on it all at once.

His feet was hanging over the armrest, the claws on his toes touching the floor. He had one arm folded under his head, the other hanging heavy over the side of the couch with his knuckles resting on the floor.   
With every exhale, a low rumble, much like a smaller cat’s purr, sounded from his chest.

The blankets she had gotten him had slipped off during the night, leaving him in his ruffled-up T-shirt and sweatpants. His T-shirt had travelled up his chest, leaving the almost white fur on his stomach exposed. It stood in bold contrast to the deep orange and brown stripes that covered the rest of him; it even looked softer.

Hazel almost jumped when the high-pitch beeping of her coffeemaker announced that another pot was ready. There was a rustling from the couch as Tobias stirred at the sound, shuffling a few of the pillows to the floor in the process.

Lazily turning over on his stomach, he arched up on his knees and paws, stretching as he closed his paws around the sofa cushions.   
Hazel’s eyes widened as she watched Tobias muscles flex over his back and arms. With a loud yawn, he sat up on the couch, rubbing his eyes with his paw.

The yawn exposed an impressive row of ivory-white teeth, and Hazel could not help the fur on her neck standing up at the sight.  Tobias was a predator, a very large and very strong predator, which she had not only trusted, but had also wanted to stay the night.

The contradiction in it all made no sense. If there was a time to be cautious of predators, it was now. Despite this, she had never felt safer than when he was close by. Even now, with his thick, sharp canines reminding her just what kind of danger he could possibly become, she could never imagine him as one

Tobias stretched until his joints popped. Every muscle in his body felt stiff after the few hours of uncomfortable sleep on Hazel’s small couch. Opening his mouth in another yawn, he rubbed his neck, trying to work the kinks out.

“Good morning”

Tobias froze mid yawn, opening his eyes to find Hazel standing in front of him with a small smile, holding out the soup bowl he had used yesterday. Steaming, freshly brewed coffee filled it to the brim, the scent working its way into his tired brain.

“Morning” Tobias quickly shut his mouth, very aware that his canines were almost as thick as her forearm.

He took the bowl from her with a muttered “thank you”. Taking a long sip, he felt the coffee begin to wash away the tiredness. He would probably need to keep drinking copious amounts of the black brew throughout the day to stay awake at work. Which reminded him:

“What time is it?”  
“Seven”

Not too bad, if he left within fifteen minutes, he would have time for a quick change of clothes back at his place before catching the buss.

Hazel was back by the kitchen counter, popping two slices of bread in the toaster. Maybe it was the sluggish state of his tired brain, or the fact that the morning light played just right through the window. Maybe a combination of both. Regardless, Tobias was unable to take his eyes of Hazel as she moved about the kitchen, preparing breakfast. The fact that she had her back turned to him made it even harder to find the motivation to rest his eyes on anything else.

The rising morning sun played over her beige fur, making otherwise unnoticeable fine hairs of bronze shine in her coat. She was wearing a modest grey pencil skirt with a peach coloured blouse. Tobias absentmindedly figured that had to be her favourite colour; peach.

“I –uhm- I don’t really have much in the way of pred-friendly food” Hazel began hesitantly, while looking through the fridge. “Is peanut butter alright?”

Hazel turned to face him with the jar in her paw, almost dropping it to the floor.  
A pair of intense amber eyes met hers across the room, the unexpectedness of it making her breath hitch in her throat. Tobias was leaning with his elbows on his knees, the steaming coffee between his paws, eyes unwavering on hers.

Tobias did not bother to look away; there was no use in pretending that he had not been staring now that she had caught him. He blinked slowly a couple of times, softening his gaze before standing up from the couch.

“Its fine, I should be going anyway” He said, setting his coffee down on the coffee table.  

“Of course” Hazel breathed, feeling her heart inexplicably racing in her chest.

Tobias gathered the pillows from the floor, piling them on the couch. He then effortlessly lifted the large piece of furniture away from the door, putting it back in front of the TV.

“I never asked you where you work?” Hazel closed the door to the fridge, trying to keep her voice sounding conversational.

“Moletech, in-house IT” Tobias replied, neatly folding the blankets he had used. He kept his eyes on the blankets, aware of how uncomfortable she had seemed when she caught him looking at her. “You?”

“Department of Infrastructure, but I’m just one of the receptionists” She said, feeling her heartrate turning back to normal.   
“What?” She asked, noticing Tobias smile.

“It’s just, the first time I saw you I thought you looked like you worked in government” He admitted, daring to shoot her a sideways glance.

“I don’t know if I should take that as a complement or not” Hazel said, an equal smile on her lips.

“Just an observation” he shrugged. Finishing with the blankets, he moved over to the TV to lift the dresser back to its place by the door.

The fox-tazer still stood on it, falling over as he put the dresser down. Tobias picked up the purple tazer, weighing it in his palm. Bold yellow letters announced it as one of many _fox away_ products, a small warning label promising maximum voltage. Curious, he pressed the two buttons on its sides, causing it to crackle to life with buzzing electricity shooting between its two metal points.

It would definitely hurt, but that was probably all it would do. For a moment, Tobias seriously considered pressing the tazer to his forearm to see for himself.

“It’s just a precaution” Hazel’s soft voice made him let go of the buttons, silencing the tazer. She had walked over from the kitchen, and was standing right behind min.

“That’s good” He said, setting the tazer back on the dresser. “You should take precautions” He did not turn around to face her right away; he had to make sure his face did not reveal too much.

Hazel nodded, pressing her lips together. She wanted to say something, but could not find the words. She wanted to assure him that the precautions she was taking was not against him, but whatever sentence she came up with in her mind sounded inherently prejudice. What could she say; that she was taking a precaution against every predator except him?

“Lilly will be disappointed that you left before she woke up” She said instead, holding on to her forearm with her paw.

“Yea” Tobias said with a half-smile, turning around to face her again. “Make sure to say hi from me”

Hazel nodded again, twisting her paws indecisively.

“She really liked the afternoon in the park” She continued. “She won’t stop talking about it”  
  
“Despite the ice-cream induced tummy ache?” Tobias chuckled softly.  
“She forgot about the tummy ache right away, the ice-cream on the other paw…”

They shared a knowing smile, their eyes meeting again. Both held the gaze for longer than necessary, the subtle change in the air around them making Hazels heartbeat pick up its pace again.

“Would you like to come with us some other time?” Hazel asked in a rushed voice. “We go almost every afternoon if the weather’s nice” She continued, looking down on her paws.

“I-” Tobias had to draw his breath once to steady his voice.  

He would like that, very much. Lilly’s trusting and uncomplicated mannerism towards him made him forget the rest of the world’s problems for a short while. What was more, he found the prospect of seeing Hazel several times during the week exceedingly tempting. However, in the back of his mind the growing speck of doubt made its presence known, making his chest tighten.

Tobias could not put into words the worry and doubt that was growing in unison with the warm longing to be close to Hazel, the two were constantly fighting for dominance. Ultimately, the latter won.

“Yea, that would be nice” He agreed, watching in fascination as Hazel’s ears perked up. It was not as obvious as with Lilly, but now that he knew to look, he realised her ears communicated quite a lot.

“Ok, great” Hazel smiled, not able to conceal her relief. “Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yea” Tobias nodded.

There was a stretch of silence as Tobias tried to find the right way to say goodbye. He really should be going to get to work on time.

“I should get going” He eventually said.

Hazel slipped in front of him as he moved to open the door, laying a tentative paw on the door handle.

“Maybe I should check if the coast is clear first?” She offered.  
“Yea, you’re right” Tobias agreed, stepping aside as she slid the locks open, slowly poking her head out into the hallway.   
He could only imagine the uncomfortable questions that would follow, if the neighbours saw a tiger leaving her apartment in the early hours of morning.

“All clear” She whispered, opening the door for him. “Have a nice day”  
“You too” He whispered back, although his deep voice still carried through the hallway. Hazel rewarded him with a genuine smile as she closed the door after him.

Walking down the faded carpets towards the stairs, Tobias could hear Hazel’s security locks clicking behind him.

* * *

Pushing open his unlocked apartment door, Tobias was greeted by the sound of serious voices coming from his living room. ZNN was still on from the previous night, proclaiming its news to his empty couch.

Tobias marched straight past the television, pulling a clean sweater and a pair of dark-wash jeans from the closet in his bedroom.

_Morning with Moosebridge_ was well into its first hour, and the seasoned news anchor and journalist was in the middle of interviewing today’s guest, a female honey badger in a rather unflattering grey suit.

“Several critical voices in the council has urged Mayor Bellweather to call for quarantine. What about you Doctor, do you believe these extreme measures to be necessary?”

“I think the Mayor needs to consider all possible ways to contain this situation, and quarantine might be one of the options” The Doctor replied in a serious voice.

“What makes you, a predator yourself, support this measure?” Moosebridge asked, raising a well-rehearsed eyebrow at her.

“It’s time for us to consider the fact that this might not be curable in the foreseeable future” The honey badger said gravely. “And every predator should, as I myself have, realise that they might pose a threat to those around them”

“What do you suggest predators do?” Moosebridge countered, motioning for the Doctor to speak directly into one of the cameras.  

“Be aware of how you feel; do you experience any violent urges? Do you easily turn aggressive? If you do, or suspect someone who does, please do not hesitate to contact our hotline-”

Tobias pushed the red button on the controller, cutting the doctor off before she could finish. He picked up the half-eaten tuna can, ignoring the stain it had caused on the carpet, nothing to do about that now. He tossed it in the waste bin under the kitchen sink, for once not bothering with recycling.

With a sigh, he leaned his elbows on the kitchen benchtop, resting his face in his paws. His head was pounding from the lack of sleep; the last twelve hours had worn him out mentally. He knew he should eat something, a grown tiger could not run on coffee alone, but he had no appetite.

Tobias groaned, letting his forehead slip from his paws and onto the cold stone benchtop.  
The sight of Hazel moving about her kitchen in the golden morning sun played behind his eyelids.  The scene played until the moment she turned to face him, her eyes widening and her breath hitching, before it seamlessly flowed over into another memory.

This time Hazel was on the ground, nose twitching uncontrollably as she wide eyed and terrified tried to get away from his outstretched paw. Dark coffee stained the cobblestones next to her. With a flash of red and blue, the scene changed again. A pair of bloodstained beige ears hung limp over the side of a gurney, being hurriedly carried away by a pair of faceless EMT’s.

Tobias jolted awake, almost losing his balance. He had not realised that he had dozed off, and it took him a couple of seconds to remember where he was.  
The clock hanging above his fridge informed him that he was cutting it close if he was going to make it to work on time.

Grabbing his keys and phone, he hurried towards the door, allowing himself a quick check in the mirror. Besides a pair of inevitable bags under his eyes, he looked like he always did. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Tobias opened the door to another day.

* * *

Heading home from work that same afternoon, Tobias decided to take the usual de-tour to avoid the square. Instead of protesters, the square was now eerily empty. The fire department had come in during the day and hosed the blood away, but it was still not tempting to cross it.

Besides, his new route had become familiar to him, and it took him through some quiet streets away from the suspicious glances from his fellow citizens.

He had not really paid much attention to the small storefronts that lined the streets he passed through. Some of them were obscure little speciality shops; one sold old vinyl, another specialised in vintage upholstered furniture. There were newer shops as well, one small electronics store, part of a larger franchise, had the newest iPaw on display in their window.

Across the street was a hardware store that caught his attention. A large orange and black poster took up most of their advertising space, announcing that they had restocked on a previously sold out item.

Tobias stopped on the pavement, reading the poster again. He thought about Hazel’s flimsy door and useless security locks. He remembered her small arm under his paw and her warm grateful eyes on his, and felt his chest tighten again.

Knowing he was bound to receive some weird looks, he strode across the street regardless, resolutely opening the door to the hardware store.

* * *

Standing in the same dusty hallway he had walked out of the same morning, Tobias shifted the black plastic bag between his paws.

This time Tobias knocked softly with two knuckles, patiently waiting for Hazel to answer the door. There was no buzz of a fox-tazer this time, just the soft klicks of the security locks sliding open.

“Toby?”  
Hazel’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Tobias, and he figured it was probably a bit presumptuous of him to show up twice within twenty-four hours.

“I won’t be long” He promised, before holding up the black plastic bag. “Can I come in? I got you something”  
“You got me a present?” Hazel asked with a small inquisitive smile as she stepped aside to allow him in.   
“Kind of” He said. “Is Lilly here?”  
Hazel shook her head, gesturing with her paw to her right. “She’s at the Grazers down the hall”   
Tobias nodded. That was just as well, he thought.

Hazel locked the door behind her, turning to him with curious eyes on the black plastic bag in his paw.

“I got you this” Tobias said, taking a large orange object from the plastic bag and handing it to her. She had to use both paws to be able to hold it properly.

“Toby, what-” Hazel lost her voice as she looked down on the large tiger-tazer she was holding in her paws. It was orange with bold black letters and a small dial at the base allowing the user to adjust the voltage.  

“Your fox-tazer would just anger any larger preds. This one works on all big cats, and even bears” Tobias explained. Hazel looked up at him in disbelief, her voice still caught somewhere in her throat.  
“Charge the battery after every use, and once every month otherwise” He continued, repeating the instructions he had received at the hardware store.

“I bought you an extra, so you always have a fully charged one by hand” He picked the pack with the rechargeable battery out of the bag, holding it up for her to see before placing it on the dresser beside the door.

“Toby?” Hazel breathed, her paws shaking around the tazer.  
“Here” Tobias knelt down in front of her, doing his best not to meet her hurt eyes. Reaching over to the tazer, he adjusted the dial, turning it to the highest voltage.  

“Careful, this charge could kill you. But it’ll be enough to knock me out for a good couple of minutes” _Enough for you and Lilly to get away-_ He finished in his mind.

“Knock _you_ out?” Hazel finally found her voice. Shaking her head, she lowered the tazer towards the floor.  
“Toby, if you-if you think for a second that I believe you’d ever- I know you’d never hurt us-” She stammered, tears threatening to flow down her cheeks.

Tobias closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the wonderful feeling of her trusting words to warm him before snapping back to reality.

“You don’t know that” He said silently. Carefully closing his own paws around hers, he raised the tazer back up, pointing it straight at his own chest.

“I don’t know that. The tiger last night? Could’ve easily been me. If this thing is a virus, or how it spreads, we don’t know” Tobias continued. He could feel Hazel’s paws shaking under his own.  
“Toby…” she begged with an unsteady voice.

Tobias finally found the courage to meet her eyes again. Her warm hazel eyes were on the brink of tears, and it threatened to undo him completely.  

“If anything happened to either of you-If I did anything to you- Hazel, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself” He confessed, firming his grip around her paws.

Hazel yanked her paws free from his grip with a furious look in her teary eyes. Tobias was about to get up and leave, when she flung herself at him. With a soft sob, Hazel buried her face in the fur at the base of Tobias’ neck. Circling her arms around his neck, she pulled herself closer, embracing him tightly.  

The tazer dropped to the floor between them with a heavy thud, discharged and forgotten.

For a moment, all Tobias could do was stare at the door in disbelief as he felt Hazel’s paws dig into the fur at the back of his neck. Then, something inside him gave way, and he closed his eyes against her shoulder, reaching a paw up to hold her firmly against his chest.

Hazel felt her feet leave the floor as Tobias sat up from his hunched over position, instead leaning back against the sofa. His thumb was slowly stroking her between her shoulder blades, soothing her shaking sobs.

Hazel responded by burying her face further into his fur, pushing her forehead against his jaw. A low purr vibrated through Tobias’ chest, and he returned the gesture by rubbing his cheek across the top of her head.

Tobias revelled in the sensation of Hazel‘s warm body against his. The immense satisfaction it brought him was unparalleled by anything he had ever experienced.

“I got you” He whispered, bringing up his free paw and running her ears between his fingers.   
“I got you”  


	8. Eight meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! Promised you a new chapter in January, and here it is, even with days of the month left to spare ;)

Rapid heartbeats. Even though Tobias was certain Hazel’s breathing had calmed considerably, her heart still beat in rapid little thuds against his own chest.

They had not said a word since he sat back against the couch. The only thing that broke the silence was his steady and involuntary purring. He could probably stop it if he tried, but it seemed to calm Hazel, so he made no effort to. Besides, it had been a long time since anything, or anyone, had made him want to purr.

Tobias carefully ran Hazel’s long ears through his fingers again. Catching one of them between his thumb and index finger, he slid down the length of it. He could feel Hazel shudder when he did, and he repeated the motion with a smile, earning him a shaky sigh.

For the time being, Hazel managed to keep any other thought at the back of her head, focusing solely on the warm comfort of Tobias holding her. She could not remember the last time anyone but Lilly had given her a hug, and she realized how sorely she had needed one.

“You feeling better?” Tobias finally whispered when her heartbeat showed no sign of slowing down, making him realise it probably was her normal heart rate, her being so much smaller than him.

Hazel nodded slowly against his neck, letting out a long breath of air that played warmly through his fur.  
“Sorry” She mumbled, pulling a little away, instead leaning her cheek on his shoulder.

“What for?”  
“For being overly emotional” She answered, feeling a little ashamed of herself.  
“No, don’t apologize” Tobias insisted, turning his head to rest his chin on her head.

Hazel closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead against his chin. The small testing gestures they kept doing were growing increasingly intimate, but none of them mentioned it in words.  

“I’m never using that _thing_ on you, never” She said after another stretch of silence, finally acknowledging the orange tazer laying by Tobias’ feet.

Tobias tensed, his slow caresses across her ears coming to a stop.

“You might have to” He replied, his voice sounding strained. “We don’t know-”  
“I know” She cut him off, her paws forming into fists around his sweater.

“I would never intentionally harm you” Tobias continued, softening his voice. His thumb resuming its calming circles between her shoulder blades. “But it would be naïve to not take precautions”

Hazel nearly winced when she heard her own words echoing back at her: _It’s just a precaution._

“If I’m gonna…” Tobias paused and searched his mind for the right words, trying to find something that did not sound too presumptuous.  
“Meet us sometimes, in the park?” Hazel suggested hopefully.  
“Yea” Tobias agreed with a sigh. “If I’m gonna be around you, I’d feel better if you had it”

Hazel did not like it; the idea of Tobias ever becoming a threat was surreal. How she had grown to trust him so completely in a few short weeks amazed her, but it did not change the fact that she had. Her initial caution towards him had vanished completely, and even now, feeling his large paws across her back and ears made her inexplicably calm.

Something else was vibrating in the air around them as well, and even though they both made no move to acknowledge its presence, it was no less there.

They stayed quiet for a long while, as if raised voices would break the spell that seemed to keep them embracing each other, even if it was no longer necessary.

Tobias had shifted his head slightly, resulting in the corner of his mouth coming to rest against Hazel’s temple. His paws had stopped moving, and for a couple of long seconds neither of them dared do anything but breathe.

Hazel could feel her heart pick up its pace again. A rush of anticipation she had not felt in several years ran through her veins at the feeling of Tobias’ warm breath across her fur. She had her eyes open, staring in bewilderment at the brown stripes that ran the side of his neck.

Tobias kept his eyes shut, daring to inch his head a fraction further, allowing his lips to press fully against her temple. The ever present speck of doubt at the back of his head made his chest tighten, giving him pause. He was dancing dangerously close to a line he should not be crossing.

The soft klicks of keys in the apartment door’s lock made him snap his head up, angling his ears in surprise.

“Lilly!” Hazel whispered sharply, jumping out of his lap in what Tobias thought to be an impressive distance for such a small mammal.

Tobias just managed to put the tazer back in its bag before Lilly opened the door, taking great care to put the ribbon with her key back under her t-shirt.

“Hi sweetie” Hazel greeted, smiling maybe a bit wider than she usually did. The only thing Lilly noticed however, was her very own tiger sitting on the floor by the living room couch.

“Toby!” She shrieked, closing the distance between them in one leap, giving his upper arm (one of the only parts of him she could fully reach around) a firm hug.

“Hi little lady” Tobias carefully patted her on the back, hoping she would let go before she completely cut of the circulation to his right paw.

Over by the kitchen table, Hazel was hiding her smile behind her paw, a slight blush still visible on the insides of her ears. Tobias had not noticed that before, and the fact that he was most likely the cause of her blush made him smile in spite of himself.

“You left before breakfast” Lilly had loosened the vice on his arm, now standing in his lap with a demonstrative pout.

“I had to go to work” He apologized, smiling warmly at her.

“So you’ve come back for dinner?” She replied hopefully, leaning both paws against his chest as she beamed up at him, standing on her tiptoes on his broad thigh.

“I-ah” He glanced uncertainly over at Hazel, who looked back at him between her fingers as her paw had travelled up to cover her eyes in embarrassment over her daughter’s un-bashfulness.

“Well” Hazel smiled, letting her paw fall back down along her side with a sigh. “I hope you like sweet potato soup”

“I happen to love sweet potato soup” He replied, honestly not having neither a strong like or dislike for the vegetable. As for most predators, it was just something to accompany his protein. Today however, he was willing to proclaim his ever-lasting love for any vegetable she named if it meant he got to spend time in her company.

Lilly let out an exited squeal, bouncing over to her mother.

“I’ll set the table!” Lilly said, brushing past her as she made for the kitchen cabinets.

“And I’ll just get started then” Hazel said with a chuckle, sending Tobias a smile and a shrug before she followed her daughter into the small kitchen nook.

Tobias shared her chuckle, finally finding time to get back on his feet. He made to join the two bunnies in the kitchen, but not before carefully placing the black plastic bag on the dresser by the door.

“Right” He rumbled, leaning his elbow on the top of their fridge. “Anything I can do?”

As it turned out, a tiger made the bunny-sized kitchen feel rather cramped. Which left Tobias sitting on their couch, watching Hazel gracefully move around her kitchen while she cooked.

Lilly soon ran into the same problem as her mother had the night before when she realized that not only was Tobias too big to fit in any of their kitchen chairs, but any spoon or bowl she put out looked ridiculously miniature in his paws.

The first problem Lilly resourcefully solved by removing one of the kitchen chairs, instead replacing it with a comfortable pile of pillows. Explaining to him that he would just have to cross his legs under the table.

Solving the second problem required more involvement on Tobias’ part, as Lilly made him hold about every spoon, ladle and other utensil in their kitchen while she assessed their usability.

Hazel watched in amusement as Lilly finally made Tobias sit by the table, taking a step back as she admired her own set up.

Tobias ended up eating soup out of a large salad bowl with a wooden ladle. Drinking water from the same soup bowl he had previously used for tea and coffee.

“Are you coming back tomorrow?” Lilly asked after she had finished retelling her account of the day to Tobias. He had not heard it when she came home from school earlier, and she found the news that Evelyn McHorn had kissed Steve Rhinores behind the tool-shed too exciting to not share again.

“Well” Tobias said, putting his spoon (ladle) down in his bowl. “I was thinking I might join you at the park tomorrow, if that’s alright?”

Lilly practically smiled from ear to ear, turning hopefully towards Hazel.

“Can he come mom? Can he please?”

Hazel sent Tobias a warm smile that made the pads on the inside of his paws tingle.

“Of course sweetie. He’s more than welcome”

 

* * *

 

The weeks rolled by as Zootopia settled in its new reality of fear and suspicion. There was never more than two days between attacks, and even though police was increasing their presence in the streets, no one felt safe. Every day the news either consisted of experts and analysts debating the situation or some official making a statement.

The more radical side of the political spectrum had begun openly demanding Mayor Bellwether to enforce a quarantine for all predators. The left argued that it would only fuel the fear even more, and inevitably create ghettos.  A price a growing number of the Zootopian population seemed to think was worth paying for the safety of themselves and the ones they loved.

For the time being, Mayor Bellwether had compromised by introducing a curfew, prohibiting anyone who did not have a work related reason to be outside after 10 pm to leave his or her home. If you were caught without such reason, you would be heavily fined and, providing you were above eighteen, spending the rest of the night in a cell.

This meant the end of Tobias’ late night workouts, which at times had been the only thing keeping him sane. By the end of the first week of curfew, he had so much pent up frustration that he had stayed awake for most of the night, doing push-ups in his living room.

At work, no one talked to him as long as they could avoid it, a fate he shared with about every other predator employee. Thankfully, his IT job did not require him to move away from his computer much, allowing him and Kevin, his otter colleague and fellow programmer, some peace.

What kept Tobias going through the days however was the meetups with Hazel and Lilly in the Savanna Central Park. They had created a routine, meeting up every Tuesday and Friday afternoon. It had been natural for them to exchange numbers, and the small fact that he had Hazel saved as one of his contacts made him smile. She had even, though rather shyly, allowed him to take a picture to go with her contact info.

The picture, taken on what had become their regular bench, showed her smiling timidly into the camera, her ears draped over one shoulder while she held her coffee (in the correct size) in her lap.  Tobias would find himself staring at it for no particular reason at all, tracing the soft lines of her face with the tip of his claw.

* * *

 

 

“How much have you explained to her, about all this?” Tobias asked one day when they sat in their usual spot; Hazel on the bench, him on the grass beside her. They watched Lilly as she played on the swings with her friends, laughing with glee as she jumped of her swing mid-air.

“That something is making preds sick” Hazel replied, tentatively smoothing her paw over the purse beside her on the bench. A purse that had lately been heavier than it had used to be thanks to the despised orange and black object inside. It was always with her, but they never talked about it again.

“That they can’t control themselves, and that she shouldn’t be mean to preds in her class just because others become sick. But that she still should be cautious of preds she doesn’t know” Hazel sighed, looking up at Tobias.

“How do you explain to a six year old that every pred she meets could be a potential threat, but that she should not treat them as such?”

“I don’t know” He answered honestly, noticing a family of jaguars having a picnic under one of the many palm trees in the park. The father was happily play wrestling with his son, the mother smiling as she set out paper plates on a checkered blanket.

“I guess you just have to try” He continued, his eyes staying on the jaguar family, the corners of his mouth drawing upwards as the father, a black panther, dramatically fell over, resulting in a happy giggle from his son.

“It helps that she knows you” Hazel said, brushing her paw against his shoulder.

Though they had never repeated the embrace from back when he bought her the tiger-tazer, they found themselves frequently coming up with excuses to touch each other. An innocent touch of her paw against his arm, his tail accidently brushing against her legs when they walked next to each other.  Every time they grew a little bolder, the glances they shared afterwards filled with warmth and curiosity.

“Oh?” Tobias said, moving his eyes away from the jaguar family and back to her as he felt her touch against his shoulder.

“She adores you, or haven’t you noticed?” Hazel chuckled, taking another sip of her coffee.

“You mean climbing me like a tree whenever she sees me?” Tobias asked teasingly, resulting in one of Hazel’s rare, but wonderful giggles.

“Yes, that too” She admitted.

They both turned their attention back to the playground, watching Lilly continue to play on the swings with Gordy and Christy, two piglet living in the same apartment building as them. Lilly was eagerly swinging her legs in an attempt to get as high up as Gordy, the larger pig having the momentum advantage on her.

 

“Dad?”

The voice from the jaguar cub travelled across the playground. Why it had caught Tobias attention through all the other voices in the park, he would never be able to explain, he was only grateful it had.

“Dad, are you alright?”

The cub was standing beside his father, the latter hunched over on the ground, holding his paw over the back of his neck as if he was hurting. The mother had stopped in the middle of pouring lemonade, her eyes worried on her husband.

“Terrance?”

The growl that followed was low but threatening, and Tobias suspected he only heard it because he was listening for it.

“Hazel” He said in a warning voice, drawing her attention to the panthers under the palm tree, only a few yards from the swings Lilly was playing on. Tobias slowly began to get to his feet, his eyes never leaving the male panther, who for the time being had his back turned to them.

Hazel went rigid beside him, her ears shooting up straight on her head as she caught the last part of the growl. Her nose began to twitch like he had only seen it do once before, and her eyes shot towards Lilly.

“Don’t” Tobias whispered, holding out a paw to silence her just as she was about to shout her daughter’s name.

“Dad!” The desperate yell came at the same time as another, louder growl, drawing the attention of several mammals in the park around them. The panther was on all fours, slowly closing in on his wife and son. His shoulders were drawn back, and he moved close to the ground, looking ready to pounce.

“Savage!”

The first terrified shrieks from bystanders quickly set of a frantic panic among everyone in the park as parents scrambled to find their children, and children screamed for their parents. The chaos made the savage panther loose his focus and he spun around with a snarl that made cold run down Tobias’ spine.

A pair of green feline eyes scanned the mass of mammals running in different directions around him, before landing on one of the few potential prey that where not moving.

Lilly sat frozen on the swings, her paws clutching the chains holding car tyre that made the seat of the swing. She was not able to take her eyes of the black panther in blue jeans and yellow t-shirt, who was slowly making his way towards her on all fours.

The panther was meticulously creeping towards his prey, waiting until the distance was just right for him to leap at the mouthful of bunny in front of him. He knew instinctively that those were fast, made quick turns. It was best to be within reach before striking.

Hazel sprung out of her seat before Tobias had even fully comprehended what was about to happen.     

“Hazel!”

Tobias felt the fur on the tip of his fingers brush against her shirtsleeve as he reached out a second too late to stop her. Hazel ran through the scattering crowd with impressive speed and precision, dodging panicking rhinos and wildebeest using her front paws, turning on a dime, not at all hindered by the fact that she had no tail to balance her out.

Fuelled by the protective rush of adrenaline only a mother could experience, Hazel’s only focus was to reach her daughter before the panther did. She could not hear Tobias behind her, as he ran after her, frantically pushing terrified mammals out of his way in an effort to reach her.

Hazel leaped into the air at the same time as the panther, the swing’s chains rattling metallically as the impact flung Lilly from her seat.

Rolling across the grass, Hazel formed a protective ball around Lilly in her arms, trying feebly to shield her from harm.

Behind them, robbed of his meal by the fraction of a second, the black panther dug his claws into the dirt, giving a furious sharp roar before charging at his prey a second time.

A large mammal unexpectedly blocking his route forced him to skid to a stop, the shock making him lash out as he snarled in frustration.

The sharp sting of claws across his forearm sent a jolt of rage through Tobias, making his own claws unsheathe, as he stood protectively in front of Hazel and Lilly on the ground behind him. He bared his teeth at the panther in a roar sounding so feral he could not believe it was coming from his own mouth.

The panther nearly melted to the ground in front of Tobias. He snarled at the larger predator standing on its hind legs in front of him, taking a moment to assess his chances of victory over the predator who had laid claim to his prey.

The savage panther quickly decided it was not worth the risk, as there was plenty of other food options still running around within hunting distance from him. With another snarl, he backed away from the superior feline, before turning and disappearing into the scattering crowd.

Tobias’ relief was short lived however, as a terrified bleat carried over the panicked shrieks of fleeing mammals.

“Run! There’s more off ‘em!” A husky ram in a purple shirt dashed out from the coffee shop by the park where several other mammals had taken refuge.

As soon as he slammed the door behind him, it was torn down by a large brown bear. The otherwise docile barista stood with his front paws on the cracked door, confused scanning the crowd with small dark and dumb eyes. There was no intelligence left in those eyes, just instinct. Savage.

Tobias pivoted around, his heart pounding in his ears as he bent down and scooped the two bunnies up in his arms in one smooth motion. At first, he had no bearing of where he was running to, only that he had to put as much distance between them and the park as possible.

He was half way up the street towards Little Roodentia before he even registered that Lilly was crying. Hazel was mumbling some inaudible soothing words in a shaky voice as she smoothed her paw over her daughter’s ears. She noticed the slight change in Tobias pace and glanced up to meet his eyes with her own fearful gaze.

Tobias did not say anything, did not think he could to be honest. Fear was still singing through every muscle in his body, making adrenaline pump loudly in his ears. At least he recognized that he was on the wrong street if he was going to get to his apartment, which was closer than Hazel’s on this side of the park.

He turned down into the first side street he saw, running as fast as he could with both his paws occupied. Lilly was pressed against his chest with Hazel against her back, still using herself to shield her from whatever other danger that could come their way.

Wherever they passed, mammals where running around them in an effort to get to safety. The news of the attacks in the park traveling fast through news and social media. Doors and windows slammed shut, and shops lowered their security bars.

Finally reaching his apartment building, Tobias had trouble holding his paw steady enough to fit the keys in the lock, having to try it three times before he managed it.

When his apartment door locked behind them, the shaking had grown uncontrollable, including every muscle in his body, making him sink down on the hallway carpet. He managed to set Hazel and Lilly down before he leaned his shoulder heavily against the wall, tying in vain to calm his breathing coming in short ragged pants.

Hazel was kneeling on the carpet beside him while checking every inch of Lilly, anxiously asking her if she was hurting. It reminded Tobias of the dull stinging in his own arm, all but forgotten in the chaos that had followed the panther going savage. It was not much more than a scratch, the panther’s claws had barely broken his skin, but the sight of the four red lines peeking through his fur made a new kind of dread wash over him.

“Hazel, where’s your purse?” His voice sounded coarse after the sprint through Savanna Central.

“What?” Hazel breathed, looking up at him in confusion.

“Your purse!” He pressed, his wild eyes making Hazel stutter.

“I-I must have left it at-at the park, why-”

“Shit” Tobias hissed through clenched teeth, unsteadily getting to his feet before scrambling for the bathroom.

Hazel sat in mixed fear and confusion on the hallway carpet, hugging Lilly to her chest as she watched Tobias disappear into his apartment.

“Sssh sweetie, everything is fine now. We’re safe now, ssssh” She whispered into the fur between Lilly’s ears, carefully rocking her in her lap.

 

 

Tobias clutched the sides of the sink with such force he was afraid the porcelain would shatter. His claws where still out, making a cringe worthy sound as they scraped against the sink. He studied his own panting reflection in the bathroom mirror with great scrutiny, watching his own wide amber eyes burning back at him.

He searched his own reflection for any signs, analysing every emotion that passed through his mind, anything that indicated that he was beginning to lose control. Why was his claws not retracting?

However much he tried, he could not stop his muscles from trembling, the adrenaline and fear still flowing through his veins, his heart pounding in his ears.

“Toby?” Hazel’s questioning voice sounded through the bathroom door.

“Stay away Hazel, just stay away” He begged, closing his eyes to his own reflection.

On the other side of the bathroom door, Hazel got up on the tips of her toes, giving the door handle a testing pull. In his hurry, Tobias had forgot to lock the door, making in swing into the grey and white- tiled bathroom.

“Hazel, please” Tobias begged silently, leaning his face in his paws.

“Toby?” Hazel asked tentatively. “Are you alright?”

Tobias felt her soft small paw rest comfortingly against his hip, causing another shudder to run through his already tense muscles.

“You should leave” He said, not really wanting her too. “He scratched me. You don’t know if I- If I caught something”

Hazel took one cautious step back, pressing her lips together as she watched Tobias stand over the sink, leaning his face into his paws while his whole body shook. She had never seen him like this, and she hated it. It was true that no one had figured out what made predators go savage, but she refused to believe that it was the same as some B-grade zombie movie.

With a determined furrow on her brow, she jumped up with strong thighs, hoisting herself up to stand on the bathroom counter in front of the sink. It brought her eye level with the big tiger, though he made no effort to look up at her.

“Toby” She said softly, putting a paw on his chin, gently coaxing him to look at her. But he kept his head down and his eyes closed.

“Tobias” Hazel insisted, firming her voice.

Tobias slowly raised his head to look at her, burning amber eyes boring into her own

“You’re alright” She continued, bringing up her other paw to hold his face in place between her paws.

“Mom?” Lilly said hesitantly from the doorway, eyes carefully searching the scene in front of her. “Is Toby gonna be sick too?”

Hazel could feel Tobias wince in her paws.

“Of course not sweetie” Hazel answered, her voice full of emotion. “He’s just-” She glanced back at Tobias’ wide eyes and rapid panting, the realisation making her relieved and worried at the same time. “Scared”

“It’s OK Toby” Lilly whispered from the doorway, daring to take another step into the bathroom. “I’m scared too”

Lilly’s meek voice from behind him was the last drop that broke the dam, and Tobias’ head fell forward, coming to rest heavily against Hazel’s chest. Hazel felt something hit the top of her feet, and when she looked down and found growing wet stains on her fur, she realised he was crying.

“I can’t lose you” Tobias’ voice was thick as porridge. “I can’t-” He swallowed, cutting himself off.

Hazel felt Tobias’ large paw softly pressing against her back, holding her against him as he shifted his head to bury his nose in the patch of exposed fur at the neck of her shirt.

“I’m sorry” He whispered.

Hazel barely managed a hushed “Sssh” as she closed her eyes against the fur on his forehead, feeling his fingers curl around one side of her waist.

There was a determined thug at Tobias’ pant leg, and without looking, Tobias lowered his free paw down towards Lilly. He could feel the tiny bunny put a foot in his paw, using it as a step-ladder while her two small paws firmly held on to the sleeve of his sweater.

It made him smile through his tears, and he carefully lifted her up to stand beside Hazel on the counter top. Intent on following her mother’s example, Lilly got up on her toes and hugged as much of Tobias’ head she could manage to reach.

“It’s OK to be scared” She said, firming her hug.

There Tobias stood, embraced by his two bunnies while his breathing slowly calmed and deepened, the pounding in his ears disappearing completely.

How long the three of them stayed in Tobias’ bathroom was uncertain, but the low rumble of Lilly’s tummy reminded them all that they had not eaten in several hours. Hazel had had some snacks packed in her purse, but it still stood back on the park bench.

Tobias’ kitchen cabinets where sorely lacking when it came to pure vegetarian options, almost every shelf containing some form of fish or bug protein. Luckily, he had a jar of peanut butter and some strawberry jam at the back of his fridge. To be honest he did not think there was a single household in the entire country that did not have the ingredients for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Since his kitchen counter was too high for Hazel to reach, she had simply jumped up on it, and sat cross-legged beside his cutting board, slicing his tiger-sized loaf of bread into appropriate pieces for herself and Lilly.

They did not say much, but there was no awkwardness between them. As Lilly settled in on his couch, transfixed on the cartoons on his large television, a fragile feeling of normality filled his apartment. Outside sirens might have been blaring, mammals locked themselves in their homes and the ZPD combed the city for yet two other mammals’ gone savage.

Tobias knew it was an illusion; but standing in his kitchen with Hazel, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while Lilly watched cartoons on his couch, made him feel as if whatever raged outside could not reach them anymore.

After eating, Hazel had insisted on helping out with the dishes, even though Tobias pointed out that he had never done the same the few times he had been over to her apartment.

She would not hear it however and now sat on top his kitchen counter again, feet dangling over the edge while he washed the dishes in the sink beside her. Outside the sun was beginning to creep low on the horizon, already blocked from view by downtown’s impressive skyscrapers.

“I would offer you to stay the night, seeing as I owe you one” Tobias began; referring to the night he had practically barged into her apartment to make sure they were safe. “But I know Lilly has school tomorrow, and you would probably want to sleep in your own bed after today”

Hazel nodded, gingerly drying one of the glasses in her paws.

“It’s probably best, yea. Though I know she would love to make a fort out of your couch pillows” Hazel smiled, making Tobias chuckle down at the dishwater.

“Some other time maybe” He said, handing her another glass to dry off.  
“Some other time” She replied, very deliberately brushing her fingers against his paw, sending tingles across his skin.

Tobias let out a silent laugh, more like an exhale, and Hazel resumed her task of drying the dishes with a small feminine smile on her lips. He did not know he had needed that. A small reassurance that despite what had happened today, nothing had changed between them.

 “I’ll go by the park tomorrow, see if you purse’ still there” He promised, though he highly doubted it would be. Crime in all shapes and forms spiked just after an attack, the underworld of Zootopia taking advantage of the fact that the ZPD was otherwise occupied.

“Lucky I keep my keys in my pocket” Hazel said, patting her jeans before beginning to dry off another plate.

She refused to let herself pout over the loss of her phone and wallet. They were all replaceable and she had very nearly lost Lilly today. The thought made her sick to her stomach, forcing her to close her eyes for a moment.

She opened them only when she felt Tobias’ paw gently on her shoulder, making her glance up to see a pair of caring amber eyes.

“You’re not walking or taking public transport” He said, sounding more stern than Hazel had ever heard him. “I’m calling you a cab, and I have cash” He added before Hazel could argue that her wallet was in her purse.

“Thank you” She said, resting her cheek against his paw on her shoulder. Hazel was feeling grateful for so much more than the simple curtsey of him calling them a cab.

 

 

The curfew were only two hours away when Tobias finally decided that it was safe enough to send Hazel and Lilly on their way.  Cautious not to wake Lilly, who had dozed off with her head in Hazel’s lap, he stepped into his bedroom.

“Zootopia City Taxi. How may I help you?” A bored voice answered the phone after the sixth ring.

“Yes, hi” Tobias began “I would like a cab from 4D, Clarence Street, please”

“Certainly, do you need a larger cab, or is a standard medium size vehicle alright?” The phone operator asked, probably judging him for a large mammal because of his deep voice.

“No standard is fine, but-” Tobias felt terrible about what he was about to ask, but he did not dare to gamble on Hazel and Lilly’s safety. “Could you make sure the driver is prey?”

The line went silent for a second, and when the phone operator answered again, her voice was dripping with venom.

“Certainly sir”

The faint hint of a sneer told Tobias he was probably talking to a canine, and the need to apologize overwhelmed him.  
“I’m sorry, but it’s for a bunny and her kit” He began to explain, running his paw over his forehead.

“No, I get it” The operator answered, her voice stone cold. “Just being the strong buck protecting the family. Aren’t you?”

“No, I’m-”  
“Your cab will arrive at 4D Clearance Street within fifteen minutes”

The operator hung up, leaving Tobias with a sinking feeling to his stomach. By personal experience, he knew how much what he had just done hurt.

 

When the cab arrived with a middle-aged hog behind the wheel, Tobias could not help but feel relieved. For a moment, he had worried that the operator would send a predator anyway, just to get back at him. But he realised she probably risked losing her job if she did.

Lilly had no wish to leave Tobias’ comfortable couch and large television set, but with the promise that she would get to visit soon, she complied and followed Hazel into the cab. Tobias could feel the mistrusting eyes of the cab driver on him when he closed the door behind Hazel and Lilly, but decided to ignore it, instead waving warmly as the cab pulled away.

As they sped down the street, the hog glanced up in the rear-view mirror at Lilly sitting on her knees in the back seat, waving back at Tobias still standing on the curb. Her small eyes shifted to meet Hazel’s in the mirror, her lips tightening around her one exposed tusk.

“Lady, it ain’t none a’ my business, but-” She began, clearly intent on sharing her opinion anyway. “Ya shouldn’t be hangin’ round his type. Ain’t safe” She said, shifting her gaze to rest meaningfully on Lilly as she did.

Hazel was about to hotly explain that “hanging around his type” was exactly the reason why Lilly was unharmed and happily waving in the back of this cab. But just as she filled her lungs to begin her triad, the fire left her, and she felt herself grow tired, so incredibly tired of it all.

“You’re absolutely right” Hazel replied instead, making Lilly glance over to her mother at the uncharacteristic chill in her voice.  “It’s none of your business”

 

 


	9. Ninth Meeting

“Evacuation or quarantine? That’s the question on everybody’s lips today as the city council enters its first day of negotiations, headed by Major Bellwether herself, to find a solution to the savage crisis”

It was the first time Tobias could remember being awake before _Morning with Moosebridge._ The early morning news broadcast was not something he had ever watched, and he could not say he had seen the young koala news anchor before either. She could have been working the gig for years; he had no idea.

“Some mammals have already decided on which solution they prefer; and taken action. Buck reports live from Zootopia Central Station”

Tobias listened with one ear as he brushed his teeth with the bathroom door open, catching glimpses of the TV in the bathroom mirror. A lemming in a khaki shirt stood behind a trolley full of suitcases, with what had to be his wife and three children behind him. He looked rather ridiculous as he spoke into the microphone the reporter held out to him, as it completely dwarfed him.

“I’m no speciest” The lemming began in a squeaky voice. “But I’m not going to risk my family’s safety just to prove a political point. Until the good Major has found a liveable solution, we’re not coming back”

Tobias rubbed a towel cross his mouth, tossing it rather aggressively over the shower cabinet.

“This is the situation of many small prey, finding the risk of staying in the city to great” Buck stated as he turned back to the camera. He drew his breath to begin another sentence, but Tobias beat him to it, turning the screen to black with the push of a button.

 

The streets were eerily empty this early in the morning. The curfew had just ended for the night, meaning most mammals had not yet gotten out of their respective dwellings.

Tobias trotted dutifully towards the park, not expecting to find anything. Nevertheless, he had promised he would look for Hazel’s purse, and he hoped that he perhaps would be out in time to catch Hazel outside her apartment. Maybe they could take the same bus to work today.

The park was as empty as the streets had been, not even an early- morning jogger in sight. Remains of red police tape hung from some of the palm trees, and the small coffee shop had gotten a temporary plywood board nailed in place where the front door should have been.

To Tobias’ great surprise, Hazel’s worn practical purse lay seemingly undisturbed on the park bench. Maybe a combination of pure luck, a general fear of going outside and the park being partially closed off after the attack had left it unnoticed.

After a quick inspection, Tobias tucked the purse under his arm, and made his way towards Hazel’s apartment building.

The second surprise of that morning greeted him on the steps of the worn yellow apartment building. A pair of solid steel doors had replaced the flimsy wooden doors, which had previously hung from their hinges in the doorframe.

Though the doors had been replaces with modern security doors, the entrance still lacked proper doorbells. And seeing as he had Hazel’s phone in the purse under his arm, calling her would not be any use.

Just as he was about to give up and walk to his bus, the door swung open, and a faintly familiar sheep stepped out. When she looked up to find a tiger standing on her doorstep, she let out an alarmed bleat that almost made Tobias drop the purse he was holding.

“Ah, excuse me, good morning” Tobias stuttered at the sheep standing with her hoof clutched over her chest. “Mrs. Grazer?”

“Yes?” Mrs. Grazer managed, quickly regaining her otherwise stoic composure.

“Do you know if Hazel’s home?” Tobias asked. “Hazel Burrows?” He added when the old ewe did not answer. Mrs. Grazer narrowed her eyes in suspicion behind her green-rimmed glasses, giving Tobias an onceover.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I wanted to give her purse back” Tobias said, holding up the purse for her to see. The ewe seemed to think it over for a second, before taking a deliberate sidestep to block the front door.

“I’ll give it to her” She said, holding out her hoof to him.

Tobias felt his shoulders sink, but he handed the ewe Hazel’s purse. When he had, Mrs. Grazer looked at him expectantly, and Tobias realised she was waiting for him to leave before unlocking the front door again.

“Thanks” He muttered, descending the steps again. First when he was several yards down the street did he hear the ewe’s keys turn in the lock.

 

* * *

 

 

Hazel had always liked the 1920’s architecture of the Department of Infrastructure’s office building. The decorated columns and marble staircase spoke of a bygone era of economic optimism and spectacular parties where champagne flowed in plenty. Not that she had ever been the type to party, but the period had always appealed to her. In addition, it was one of the few buildings in Zootopia still left from that period.

Walking through the original brass- and glass revolving doors, she made her way across the polished marble floor to open up the reception for the day. Halfway across the floor she came to an abrupt halt, feeling her mouth drop open.

In front of her, the usually pristine reception area was littered with tools and pieces of wood and plaster. Three beavers in matching overalls were busy working in the dusty reception area.

From what she could see, they had already demolished the old front desk and were almost halfway done with building a new, larger one. Hazel regained the use of her legs and almost jogged over to the beavers, looking at the new reception desk towering above her.

“What in heavens name..?” She began, though she never got to finish the sentence.

To her left, the door to the office of The Head of Administration opened. Diana Hilton poked her horned head out, the gazelle’s face splitting in a wide relieved smile as she spotted Hazel.

“Hazel! Thank goodness, you’re alright. I tried your cell a hundred times yesterday”

Hazel felt a tinge of guilt. Of course, Diane knew about the attack. As every attack, it had been all over the news. Still, Hazel had been so preoccupied she never thought to borrow a phone to call in to work to tell everyone she was ok.

Now her boss was kneeling down to give her a warm hug, trapping the poor bunny in a tight hooved hug.

“Diane, what’s going on here?” Hazel gestured to the beavers now hammering away at the new front desk.

“Ah, that” Diane got an uncomfortable look on her face, which made Hazel worried. “I’ll explain in my office”

 

Diane’s office was very simple, very typical for government middle management; a few plants, pictures of her twin fawns grinning with their father at a country fair, and a few mismatched binders adorned her desk.

“Hazel, you’re a wonderful receptionist” Diane began, and Hazel felt her heart sink. “I don’t want you to take any of this personal, but the council has decided, and I agree, that front desks in government buildings are high-risk areas”

She gave Hazel a meaningful look over the top of her glasses.

“We’ve therefore come to the decision that Erica will take over your current position as receptionist”

Hazel felt like the room shrunk around her. She was being fired. She was being fired and replaced with a hippo. How would she make rent? Then there was the power and the gas and not to mention her grocery budget, which was stretched thin as it was.

Diane noticed Hazel’s quickened breathing, and realised she should have worded herself better.

“Of course, we are offering you a new position down in archives, but Hazel…” Diane took her glasses off, folding her hooves on her desk. “I’m speaking to you as a friend now, and fellow mother, not your boss” She continued, eyes understanding on Hazel.

“With what happened yesterday- No one would blame you if you left the city; I know I would jump at the chance to take Jenny and Kelly somewhere safe”

Hazel was quiet. She could not deny that in the first weeks of the attacks gaining media attention, she had played with the idea of taking Lilly with her to her parents back in Bunnyburrow.

“I can promise you that you’ll have a job here when you return” The gazelle insisted. “You would not be the first small prey to gain paid leave. I know of dozens of cases in other departments already. The current administration is very understanding of your situation. I believe the Mayor herself is the reason why so many government employed small prey have been granted leave or transfers”

“Paid leave?” Hazel repeated hesitantly, not really believing what she was hearing. “For how long?”

“The pay is one month” Diane replied, smiling encouragingly. “Who knows, that might be enough time for Bellewether to find a solution to this mess. If not, the leave is indefinite for now”

Hazel looked down at the wooden desk in front of her. She felt a surprisingly strong reluctance at the idea of leaving the city.

There was no logical reason why she should not take this offer. Back home in Bunnyburrow predators were scarce, there was no question that she and Lilly would be safer there.

Her parents would be ecstatic at the idea, most of her younger siblings had moved out long ago, leaving many empty rooms. She was even quite certain her father would be able to get Lilly enrolled at Bunnyburrow Elementary if she asked him. He still played bridge with the principal ever Saturday afternoon. Lilly already knew half of the other children from summer holidays and family reunions. Besides, it would bring Lilly closer to her father and half siblings.

Apart from her work, there was nothing really keeping them in Zootopia. No reason why she should not want to take this opportunity. No reason except one.

 

* * *

 

 

His kitchen seemed eerily empty and silent. The black and grey kitchen, which he had thought looked cool and contemporary when he bought it, made the room feel even gloomier.

Pulling out a casserole and the few ingredients he needed for a simple pasta, Tobias contemplated turning on the TV just to get some background noise. Maybe he could find the cartoon channel Lilly had watched yesterday. Anything but the news would do really.

While waiting for the water to boil, Tobias found himself glancing over to his phone laying on the countertop more often than was strictly normal. Could he call to check if Hazel had actually gotten her purse back?

He held his phone in his paw as if weighing it would help him reach a decision, when it rang. The screen lit up with the sunny picture of Hazel sitting on a park bench. Tobias nearly dropped the phone into the boiling water as he hurriedly attempted to slide the little green square across the screen.

"Hi!" He said, realizing he probably sounded a bit eager.

"Hi" Hazel replied, quickly muting the TV in front of her when Tobias picked up the phone.

"I see Mrs. Grazer gave you back your purse" He remarked, reaching for a can of tuna in his cupboard. "Did she want to know why a tiger had your purse?"

Hazel's short laugh made him smile. It was good to hear her laugh, reassuring to know something was still right, even after yesterday. Small illusions of normality, he knew, but he clung to them as if they were the last things that kept him sane.

"No" Hazel chuckled. "But I could tell she wanted to ask. I'm sure I'll be the talk of the block tomorrow"

Tobias tried to keep his voice level, but he could hear his insecurity seeping through.

"And you're alright with that, or-?"

"Oh, don't worry about it" Hazel said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She could feel the inside of her ears blushing, and was thankful they were talking over the phone.

Tobias could hear the shuffling of fabric as she repositioned herself, and somehow a part of his brain found the time to wonder if she was in bed, and if she was wearing the same lilac nightgown he had seen her in once before. 

Sensing her discomfort, he quickly banished the thought from his mind, instead trying to change the subject.

"So, I'm glad to see you finally got new doors" He said, beginning to peel the lid of the tuna can with one claw.

"Yea, the landlord got them installed last week, I forgot to tell you"

There was something off in her voice, giving Tobias a sinking feeling to his gut.

"Hazel, is something wrong?" He asked wearily, knowing it was a stupid question to ask now a days. What was not wrong?

"My boss took me aside at work today" Hazel began, deciding that jumping in with both feet was the best way to tell him. "I'm being replaced by a larger mammal, for safety"

"They fired you?" Tobias asked in shock. He had always reckoned if one of them would be fired on the grounds of "safety" it would be him.

"No, I got a job in archives if I want, but-" Hazel took a deep breath, tucking her feet under herself in the comfortable armchair. "She offered me approved leave as well, with one month pay"

"Oh" Tobias managed, slowly processing what she was telling him.

 "I could take Lilly back to my parents in Bunnyburrow" She continued. "She could go to school there, play outside in the fields and-" She lost the trail of arguments she had repeated to herself the entire afternoon, feeling a lump threatening at the back of her throat.

Tobias felt his paw tighten around his phone.

"That's- “He closed his eyes, clearing his throat. “That's a really good offer Hazel" He continued, his calm voice masking the sudden aching in his chest.

It would be straight out stupid of her not to take this chance to get out of the city with some financial stability. He did not know much of the Tri-Burrows, but he knew one thing: Predators where few and far between and as far as he knew there had been no reports of savage attacks there yet.

“I know, it’s just-” Hazel drew her breath, casting her eyes down into her lap. “I don’t want to leave…” _you._ The last unspoken word hung in the air, its meaning still communicated though never said.

Tobias had forgotten the boiling water on his stove; he just stared down on his granite countertop, feeling his tongue stick dryly to the top of his mouth.

“Why?”

Maybe it was selfish of him, but he needed to hear her say it.

Hazel shifted uncomfortably in her seat, changing her phone to her other ear. Lowering her voice some more, making sure Lilly would not be able to hear her through her bedroom door.

“I-” Hazel looked up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling her eyes tearing up. Why did she have to be so emotional? “I feel like I’m leaving you behind, that if I leave, we won’t ....” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “That we won’t be the same”

Hazel held her breath waiting for Tobias’ response.

Tobias kept his eyes on the granite countertop, remembering how Hazel had sat on it yesterday, leaning her head against his paw. A slow heat spread through his chest as a sunrise, causing him to open and close his paw indecisively.

They were at the beginning of something that was still so fragile he felt as if the wrong words could shatter it completely. Yet so strong that apparently an entire city filled with fear and animosity could not keep it from growing.

The line fell silent for so long, Hazel feared they had lost connection. When Tobias finally spoke, there was a trace of melancholy in his voice.

“I’ll be here when you get back” Tobias assured her, just barely managing to keep himself from saying _if you get back._

Hazel nodded silently, even though that had no effect over the phone. She wanted to say more, but it was as if her feelings gathered in a nervous ball at the back of her throat, making it hard to put them into words. Before she could untangle them, Tobias’ deep baritone filled her ear again.

“I don’t want you to leave either” He admitted, his voice low and sincere. Tobias was standing in the comfort of his own kitchen, but it no less felt as if he was leaping off a cliff.

“Whenever I’m with you I feel like the world makes sense again” He continued, intently listening to Hazel’s breathing through the phone to gauge her reaction. “But I want you to be safe, and you’ll be safer in Bunnyburrow than here. Both of you”

“I feel safe with _you_ ” Hazel insisted, knowing her voice was growing audibly thicker. “Safer than I have ever felt since this whole mess began” She could hear the hint of a laugh on the other end of the line, nervous but happy.

“You have no idea how much it means to me when you say that” Tobias said silently, leaning his forehead against his paw as he rested his elbow on the countertop.

“I know you’d never hurt us” Hazel continued, pulling a discharged blanket from Lilly’s pillow fort around herself.

Tobias smiled down on his granite countertop, feeling his chest swell at her words. At the same time, he felt the shadow of doubt and fear looming at the back of his mind. Yesterday’s trauma was still fresh in his memory, the remains of adrenaline still burning in his blood.

“But I’m afraid I will” He admitted, swallowing audibly. “Or someone else. Yesterday was lucky, I-” He straightened his back in frustration, tugging at his ears as he ran his paw over his head. “I can’t lose you” He said on an exhale.

Hazel felt her chest tighten as he repeated his words from yesterday.

“I know” She said, keeping the blanket tight around herself, ready to come with a confession of her own.

“I’m afraid too. Afraid someone will attack you, afraid the police will shoot you, afraid you’ll wake up one morning and not be you anymore, and that I’ll lose you that way” She dried away a couple of stray tears with a corner of the blanket, letting out a shaky sigh now that she had gotten it of her chest.

“You’re afraid I’ll go savage, but not afraid that I’ll hurt you?” Tobias asked. The contradiction of it all made him smile hopelessly

“Yea” Hazel whispered.

“That makes no sense Hazel” He sighed, a hint of a laugh in his voice.

“Not much have recently” She replied silently, pouring more meaning into the short sentence than she had intended too.

“Hazel” He said softly, allowing her name to linger on his tongue. He knew what she meant, or at least he hoped he did, hoped they were on the same page.

Even without Zootopia teetering on the edge of a crisis, what he was feeling, and had been feeling for some time now, was complicated enough. Strong powers pulling him ever closer to a line he should not be crossing, but wanted to cross anyway.

“Hazel, I-” He began, again readying himself to jump off the edge of the cliff he seemed to be standing on in his own kitchen. “I really think you should take the offer” He finally said, losing his nerve last minute 

"I did" Hazel said, swallowing in vain against the lump in her throat. "I know others that would love to be in my place, that I should be relieved or, or something. A month ago I wouldn't have hesitated, but Toby-" Her voice broke, and she covered her mouth and nose with her paw, closing her eyes against the tears.

"It's just a couple of hours away" Tobias tried sounding comforting, knowing it could just as well be on the other side of the world.

If she was leaving now, chances were slim she would be coming back as long as predators were going savage. It would be an unnecessary risk, and not worth it. Besides, if the city council reached the conclusion that evacuation was the best solution, she would not be able to come back anyway. And if they landed on quarantine... Well, there was no telling where he would be.

"You know that makes no difference" Hazel said, voice partly muffled by the blanket she was cocooning herself in.

 "There's Muzzle Time" Tobias offered, earning him a teary laugh that ended in a soft sob.

"Please don't cry" He whispered, her sob resonating within him. "You'll be safe, and I'll be alright" He promised, as much to himself as Hazel.

 "It’s just such a mess" Hazel said, again wiping away her tears. "An awful mess"

"Yea" He agreed, leaning his head back in his paw.

They did not say anything else for a while, just sharing the silence and faint static on the phone.

 

"When are you leaving?" Tobias eventually asked, not able to avoid it any longer. 

"Friday, I have to sort things out with Lilly's school tomorrow, collect my things at work, pack" Hazel ran the long list of things over in her head, a lot to get through in 24 hours.

"Can I see you before you go? I could walk you to the station, see you off safely?" He offered, feeling as if a door was slowly closing in his face.

"I'd like that" Hazel said, doing an effort to keep her voice steady.

The line fell silent again, neither of them knowing what more to say.

"I'll see you Friday then"   
"See you Friday"

 

When they hung up, the water for his pasta had nearly boiled dry. Tobias did not bother with starting over. He had lost his appetite completely.

 

* * *

 

 

He would be late for work, which was pushing his luck. Maybe he was paranoid, but he could swear management was looking into every opportunity to let predators go. Kevin was in a better place than he was; Tobias had honestly not considered otters predators until he started working with Kevin.

Tobias had rather untactfully asked him about it on their first lunchbreak and Kevin had demonstratively bitten into the sea urchin he had brought for lunch, shells and all. Tobias had gotten the message.

He knew it annoyed Kevin that everyone viewed him as cute and cuddly, but right now, he was benefitting a great deal from it, and he knew it. Tobias had not seen Kevin eat seafood for lunch in weeks.

 The sun was bright and warm on the pavement outside the yellow apartment building, its steel- security doors stood out grimly, not matching the rest of middle- century architecture. Tobias stood on the other side of the street, watching those ugly doors, waiting.

Lilly was the first to exit, eagerly holding the door for Hazel who were pulling a large suitcase (at least large for a bunny) behind her. Lilly herself was wearing her pink school backpack and a purple skirt, clearly dressed up to meet her grandparents. 

When she spotted Tobias on the other side of the street, her face lit up and as always, he could not help but smile back. She was like her own little ray of sunshine.

She took the stairs in one leap, ready to sprint across the street.

"Lilly!" Hazel said sternly, making her daughter stop with her toes on the edge of the pavement. Lilly demonstratively straightened her skirt, and looked overdramatically both ways before crossing.

Tobias chuckled, oh how he was going to miss that little bunny.

"Toby! Catch!" Lilly jumped up at him, impressively coming just a few inches short of his shoulder. She managed to hold on to his shirt however, and with a little help from his paw, she was able to perk herself on his shoulder.

"Soon you'll be able to jump all the way by yourself!" Tobias said encouragingly.

Walking over to Hazel with long strides, he picked up her suitcase without a word, earning him a small grateful smile.

They walked in silence towards the central station. Lilly seemed none to fazed. She was too excited by the prospects of seeing her grandparents and father and all her half siblings way before Christmas to think much about why they were leaving for Bunnyburrow in the first place.

Hazel walked with her eyes on the pavement, trying not to convey any emotion, but was deceived by her drooping ears.

Tobias searched his mind for anything to say, but came up with nothing. Or rather, he came up with too much; everything he had not said, everything he wished to tell her, but no way to say it.

 

 

Zootopia Central Station was as usual buzzing with morning commuters in all shapes and sizes. Lilly's head almost spun a hundred and eighty degrees on her shoulders in an attempt to see everyone and everything. She had been to the central station before, but always looking up, never looking down.

At first glance, everything seemed like business as usual for a busy work day, but when looking closer, Tobias noticed that some things were off. The number of uniformed police was one, the cautious glances mammals shot every predator they passed another. Some were discreet, some borderline glaring.

In-between the regular work-dressed crowd he spotted an unusual number of smaller mammals with suitcases, mostly prey, but the occasional ferret and otter also passed by, clearly packed to be away for a while.

Hazel walked beside him, she had not uttered a word since they left her apartment. She let her paw brush against his pant leg as she walked, wanting to do something to show that she cared, but lacking the courage to do anything more.

Had Tobias only been shorter, he would have held her paw, but unless she reached up for it, he could not easily grasp it.

Regardless, he had switched to carry her suitcase in his other paw, freeing the one closest to her. Hazel did not reach up for it, but in a quick and light move, she brushed her cheek briefly against the side of his paw as they made their way through the crowded station.

The solution came in the form of the escalator taking them down to platform 8, where the train to Bunnyburrow would soon depart.

Tobias stepped on first with Lilly still on his shoulder, leaving Hazel two steps above him. As it carried them down, Tobias glanced behind him to fin Hazel's paw on level with his own.

 

Hazel was watching the mammals on the platform below them when she felt a large warm paw close around her own. Startled, she looked up, meeting Tobias warm amber eyes.

He was holding her gently, allowing her to slip her paw out easily if she wanted to, but Hazel did the opposite, squeezing back as firmly as she could.

Tobias face broke into a careful smile, and he gently firmed his own grip, securing her paw against his large palm.

When they stepped off the escalator, they kept their paws locked, even though Hazel almost had to reach her arm above her head to do so.

Tobias caught a deer doing a double take as they passed him. With the heightened tension, the usually unaware commuters were paying more attention to their surroundings.

They were quite the sight as they walked along the platform. A large tiger with a tiny bunny on his shoulder carrying a bunny-sized suitcase in one paw, while holding Hazel in the other.

The other mammals on the platform did nothing to hide their glaring. To Tobias' relief, even though most seemed hostile or skeptical, they left them alone.

The train arrived at the station with a smooth electrical buzz, with a generic female voice announcing its arrival.

“You have to get down now little Lady” Tobias said to Lilly, still perched on his shoulder like a pirates parrot.

He had to let go of the suitcases and Hazel’s paw as he knelt down to allow Lilly to climb down. Even though she was quite good at jumping up, she still had some work to do on her landings, and Tobias was just too high for her to jump down from still.

“Why can’t you come with us to Gramma’s?” Lilly asked with a pout as she slid down from his shoulder.

Hazel shot him a sad glance, and for a moment he was afraid she would begin to cry.

“You know I wish I could Lilly” He said, putting a careful finger under her chin. “But I wouldn’t fit in the house, would I?”

“Oh” Lilly said, a little smile on her face. “No, you wouldn’t even fit through the door!”

“Exactly” He said, catching Hazel covering her mouth with her paw, her eyes tearing up. “What if I got stuck?”

“Grampa would be so mad” Lilly giggled.

“I wouldn’t want to upset your grandpa” He said, patting her cheek with the tips of two fingers.

“ _The L3 service to Bunnyburrow is ready for departure from platform 8_ ”

The announcement rang in his ears, making him drop his paw from Lilly’s cheek.

“You have a train to catch” He tried to keep his smile genuine, but knew he must have looked sad, because Lilly quickly jumped up on his thigh, closing her arms around as much of his thick neck that she could reach around.

“Bye Toby!" She said, closing paws around tufts of his fur with tiny fists. "I promise to call you every day!”

Tobias gently rested his large paw against Lilly’s back, returning the hug.

By his side, he heard Hazel’s soft whimper, and before he could glance over, he felt her bury her face at the crook of his neck.

“I’ll miss you” Her voice was muffled by his fur, but he heard her clearly. "I'll miss you too"

He would miss them, he would miss _her_ , but this was the only logical course of action. They would be safe, and that was what mattered most.

Hazel felt Tobias' arms closing around her, trapping her and Lilly in a warm embrace. Around them, the platform was steadily emptying as waiting mammals embarked the train. They held on to each other, trying to postpone the inevitable.

"Ah- you'll miss your train" Tobias said in a thick voice, reluctantly removing his paws from his two bunnies.

Tears where trickling steadily down Hazel's face, darkening the fur beneath her eyes. "Hey" He whispered, cupping her cheek in his large paw. "It's gonna be alright"

He did not believe it himself, he surely hoped it would, but right now he could not make himself to believe it.

Neither could Hazel.

She brought her own paw up to his, holding it in place. The platform was nearly empty; they would have to board the train.

In the last second, Hazel turned her head, pressing her lips against his palm. "Good bye"

She could not make herself look at him again, afraid she would break down completely. Quickly grabbing her suitcase, she made her way to the train with Lilly in tow, the latter almost walking backwards as she waved to Tobias.

 

Even as the doors of the modern train smoothly closed behind Hazel and Lilly, Tobias stayed on his knees on the platform. He did not care that mammals were staring at him, nor did he really notice at this point.

The train glided out of the station with an electrical swishing sound, making a discharged newspaper fly up from the platform edge and land on the railway tracks.

The fur on his right paw was still damp from Hazel’s tears, and he could feel the lingering tingle of her lips against the pads in his palm.

It hurt.

The pain was so physical he wondered if perhaps someone had tazered him after all. He did not realise he was crying until his vision became blurred.

“Hey tiger!” A crass voice cut through the crowded platform. The train was no longer visible from the platform, and Tobias was not sure how long he had been sitting in the same place.

He sluggishly turned his head to see a rhino officer coming towards him in a determined stride, his brows low over his eyes.

“No loit-” The rhino seemed to lose his initial determination when he saw the tiger’s tear-stained face, uncertainty playing across his hard eyes. “No loitering” He finished, his voice considerably lower than when had started out.

“Sorry Officer” Tobias said, quickly drying his face with the back of his paw. “I’ll be on my way”

He tried his best to sound respectful, but whatever motivation he had had of staying on the good side of law enforcement seemed to have left with the last departed train. What he really wanted to do was to tell the ungraceful mammal to mind his own bloody business.

To the Officer’s credit, he did not say anything else, only stood uncomfortably as Tobias slowly got to his feet and brushed of his knees.

Tobias did not offer the rhino another glance as he stuffed his paws in his pockets, and slowly made his way out of the large train station.

Outside, the giant LCD screen on the front of a building across the from the station displayed the usual happy face of Gazelle. The pop-singer repeated the same message she had done for the last year or so, he could not remember exactly when the ad had gone up.

Tobias had never paid it much mind, but now the otherwise pleasant voice seemed to mock him as he walked out of the station.

_Welcome to Zootopia._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have tried to imagine what Bellwether would be doing politically to keep herself the precieved good-guy, but at the same time fueling the fear. It seems to me that offering leave to government employed prey mammals was a logical thing to do. And I assume she would eventually want to enforce a quarantine on pred's, but without it seeming like her idea.
> 
> When it comes to how many chapters are left, its either one or two, I don't know fore sure yet. But the story will soon come to a an end. Hope you are enjoying it!


	10. Tenth Meeting

 

 

His commute was not half as bad as it could have been, and the weather was nice. The sun hung undisturbed by clouds in the sky above the city. The bus made its way steadily through the morning traffic, the monotone sound of its engine melted into the background as Tobias focused on nothing in particular, trying in vain to make himself small and inconspicuous in his seat. 

Moletech had managed to stay neutral in this conflict for an impressive stretch of time, but the growing unrest was forcing the hand of management. They were working on solutions to segregate the workforce.

Tobias and Kevin would be mostly untouched by this, as they already worked by themselves in the small IT department. Tobias knew it would affect them nonetheless, and in some ways it already did. For one, they never ate in the cafeteria anymore, instead opting to have their packed lunches by their desks.

In some aspects, Tobias had to admit this was an improvement. Eating with a fellow predator meant he could have his tuna sandwich without the looks of nervous colleagues on him. He could feel them wondering when the tuna would not be enough to satisfy him anymore. 

“If you don’t mind me asking Toby,” Kevin suddenly said during their lunchbreak, interrupting the steady sound of crunching sea urchin shells.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today. Everything alright?”

Tobias took his time chewing his mouthful of sandwich before answering. He had not told Kevin about Hazel, and he was unsure if he should. Tobias had never been one to talk openly about his private life at work. 

The weekend had been tough for Tobias, even if Lilly had kept her promise and called him from Hazel’s phone both Saturday and Sunday. He expected she would call again today, updating him on her progress in school and her enthusiastic quest to make as many friends as possible.

However, Hazel never came on the line.

“Mom says hi!” and that was all he had heard.

He did not know why Hazel suddenly did not want to talk to him, and it confused him. He thought she would keep in touch.

“It’s just that some friends had to leave the city,” Tobias finally answered. “I miss them.”

Kevin nodded in understanding, giving the large tiger a friendly pat on the back.

“A lot of friends being torn apart by this,” he said, seeming to think something over before adding: “Hey, I know we’ve never been close or anything. But if you need a friend, you got one here.” 

The otter pointed a clawed thumb to himself, offering Tobias a friendly smile.

“Thanks Kev,” Tobias said, sincerely grateful. It would have been nice just to sit down for a normal beer with someone for once.

“Don’t mention it,” Kevin said, returning to his lunch. “We preds got to stick together now, not as many of us as of them, you know. If anything, this whole thing has shown me who my real friends are.”

Tobias gave him an agreeing nod, but something in the way Kevin spoke made his lunch sit uneasily in his stomach.

 

* * *

 

 

Bunnyburrow was its usual picturesque lush green. The blue sky was dotted with the occasional cotton cloud, casting shadows that travelled softly across the green and golden fields around the Burrow homestead. It seemed forever caught in the status quo, largely unaffected by the events in the big city that could just as well be on the other side of the world.

Hazel sat in the shadow on her parent’s porch with a half-empty glass of sweet tea in front of her. Inside, the house was calm. With only twenty or so bunnies living in it, the mostly underground house saw much of its two hundred capacity unused.

Lilly was having dinner at her father’s house today, leaving Hazel to her own mind most of the afternoon. At least Buck had been more than happy to have Lilly move closer. Hazel suspected he had struggled with a bad consciousness with how little he managed to see his daughter from his first marriage. His new wife had been nothing but kind, and included Lilly in her kits’ activities without a moment’s hesitation.

And though Hazel was glad Lilly got to spend more time with her father and her half-siblings, it was bitter-sweet to see how happy Lilly was in the large family.

The slight vibration on the table in front of her made Hazel glance down at the shining screen on her phone. It was yet another ZNN news update, and her heart did a little hop in her chest before she realised it was just a traffic update. She had been on her toes waiting for the next attack, praying it would be any animal, any predator, anything but a tiger.

The thought of Tobias made a ball tighten in her stomach. She should have called him.

From the conservative comforts of Bunnyburrow, the true nature of the feelings she harboured for him had become alarmingly obvious. It was not like they had not been there before, but they had somehow been dormant, only making themselves known as a warm glow at the root of her heart.

After the separation on the platform of Zootopia Central Station, she was feeling a deep longing which nature could not be mistaken for anything else. It was this certainty, the very intensity of her own feelings that caused her trepidation.

Now, after nearly three days, she was too embarrassed to pick up the phone herself. Hazel had no idea how to explain to Tobias why she had not called earlier. She regretted not having at least said a few words after each time Lilly had spoken to him.

Unsure of how he would react to her calling him now, Hazel hesitated with her paws to her chest, watching her phone light up again with another news update.

 

* * *

 

When his phone vibrated across the coffee table, Tobias’ heart did not skip as much as it had the first time. He realised he should be happy Hazel let Lilly call him at all, though he could not help the tinge of disappointment he felt every time he picked up and it was not Hazel’s voice greeting him.

“Hi little Lady” he greeted warmly, turning off the colourful cartoons he had been watching. “How was school today? Did you get any new friends?”

“No” a warm voice answered, making him jolt upright in his sofa. “But I’ve met some old ones”

“Hazel” an involuntary smile of relief drew the corners of his mouth up as he said her name, his paw quickly running through the fur on his head. “Hi”

“Hi”

The line fell silent. He had longed to talk to her for the entire weekend, but now he had no idea what to say.  
“H-how’ve you been? Is everything alright?” He finally managed, pressing his phone firmly against his ear.

“Yes” Hazel answered a little hesitant. “I’m sorry Toby”

“Why?” Tobias could feel his heart sink. He had not heard from her in days, and when he finally did, she began with apologizing. It made him assume the worst.

“I haven’t called you, and I wish I could offer you an explanation, but I can’t. I don’t know why, I just-” Hazel shook her head, watching the breeze play across the green grass in front of the porch.

“It’s fine,” Tobias assured her. “I’m just glad you did”

Hazel smiled as the calm, deep baritone of his voice resonated within her. Whatever concern she had felt before melted away as Tobias’ calm voice filled her ears.

“I’d almost forgotten what you sound like already” she mused, not really having meant to say it aloud.

Tobias chuckled warmly, making Hazel’s ears hot as she realised she had, in fact, said it aloud.

Thankfully, Tobias seemed to sense her discomfort over the phone, and did not mention it. Instead, he asked conversationally:

“So… how’s it being back in the Burrows?”

“Green,” Hazel said, taking a deep breath of fresh country air. She could not deny that this would always be her home, more than any apartment in the city would ever be.

“Green?” Tobias asked, laying down on his couch with a paw underneath his head.

“Yea, every time I come back here, I realise how much greener everything is, and open. Even with the parks and trees in Zootopia, it’s just never the same”

“I can imagine” Tobias said, closing his eyes to shut out his apartment that had begun to feel more and more like a cage recently.

Hazel suddenly realised something, making her both surprised and a little embarrassed at the same time.

“Toby… I’ve never asked you where you’re from”

She thought back past the weeks they had known each other, and not once had they talked about his family. It made her feel incredibly selfish, remembering all the times she had told him about her past.

“Nothing interesting there I’m afraid” Tobias answered, a little surprised at her sudden change of subject.  
“Zootopia born and bred, only cub, the folks moved down to the sunny south in their old days. That about sums it up. My life has been pretty uneventful up until now”

“Still, I feel bad for never asking,” Hazel said, tucking her feet underneath herself in the large woven chair. “That’s what one normally does when getting to know someone”

“Well, we haven’t exactly gotten to know each other under normal circumstances, have we?”

Tobias could not help the tinge of melancholy in his voice, suddenly wishing he could see her. He wanted to have her in front of him, to be in the room with her. He wanted so badly to see how her lips moved and how she always ran her paw over her ears when she talked. He actually closed his eyes to try to imagine it.

“No, I guess not” Hazel answered in a low voice.

“But I can’t help but wonder” she continued. “If this had never happened, this savage-mess I mean… Would we’ve gotten to know each other at all?”

Tobias fell silent, finding himself glancing over to his kitchen where Hazel had been sitting on his countertop just last week.  
Contemplating her question, he thought back to that day on the bus when Lilly had gotten lost in Savanna Market Square. If everything had been as before the crisis, he would not have worried about Hazel thinking he was following them. He would have just gone home as usual, hit the gym and gone about his afternoon.

He probably would not have noticed them sitting beside him on the bus at all. Just some other mammals sharing his commute that he never paid much attention too.

“Probably not” he finally concluded.

It was peculiar how a situation that should have torn an even larger divide between prey and predators, had resulted in the exact opposite. Instead, be it by chance or fate, it had created the perfect circumstance for them to grow closer.

Hazel looked down at her sweet tea, feeling herself growing emotional again. She tried her best to swallow the growing lump in her throat. The emotions that had rendered her a teary mess on the platform of Zootopia Central Station still played fresh in her mind.

“But I’m glad we did,” Tobias added, and Hazel could feel a warm shudder go through her.

“So am I.”

Hazel gazed over the lush fields again. In the distance, a small truck was kicking up a cloud of dust from the dry dirt roads cutting through the landscape.

“I wish you were here, Toby” Hazel said, her eyes following the cloud of dust as the truck made its way towards the farm.

Tobias mouth went dry. There was nothing he wanted more, and hearing her wanting the same was both sweet and agonizing at the same time.  

“It’s safer without me there” Tobias imagined what an incredibly unnecessary risk placing a tiger in the middle of Bunnyburrow would be.

“I don’t want to believe that” Hazel said, realizing she sounded almost childishly stubborn.

“Doesn’t make it any less true” Tobias countered, his voice low and somber.

Hazel smiled sadly into the air, blinking back her own tears, just managing to keep them down. Down the road from the Burrow homestead, Buck’s old blue truck came into view. She could just make out the yellow of Lilly’s jumper in the passenger seat.

“Ah, Lilly’s coming home now” Hazel said, clearing her throat. “Maybe we’ll Muzzle Time you later?” She offered, standing up from her chair and waving towards the approaching truck.

“Both of you?” Tobias asked hopefully, longing to see her face again, even if it only was on a screen.

“Yea” Hazel said. “Both your little ladies” she added with a smile, earning her a warm laugh from Tobias.

“I’d like that”

“Take care Toby”

“You too Hazel”

The following week passed with them falling into a routine of text messages during the day and Muzzle Time in the evening. Lilly would sometimes take Tobias on a tour, shakily holding Hazel’s phone with the camera pointing around the house. Most of the time he would not be able to see much more than worn wooden floors and glimpses of comfortable furniture, but he did not mind one bit.

Each time, it felt like his tablet was a magic mirror through which he looked into a different reality. A place of wholesome home cooked meals and endless open fields, where Lilly could play safely outside, and Hazel had a calmness about her that made her even lovelier than before.

And as much as it hurt to not be a part of it, he was grateful for its existence.

 

* * *

 

Saturday was turning into late afternoon, a time when the streets would usually be buzzing with life as Zootopians prepared for a night out. However, Tobias was almost alone as he made his way towards his apartment with his gym bag slung over his shoulder. He had found a gym a while back in a predominantly predatory area of the city, but it was quite the distance from his apartment.

It was nothing fancy, but it had the equipment he needed, in addition to a basketball court and an outdoor tennis court. The last fact had surprised him, but he guessed even he had his biases towards the less affluent parts of Zootopia.

Finally home, he rushed through his shower and meal, settling in his couch with his i-Paw in his lap for what had become the favourite part of his day.

 

Hazel’s mild features filled the screen of his tablet, the image rocking a little as she positioned her phone in front of her.

“Hi Toby,” she greeted.

She was in the kitchen, the heart of the Burrow homestead, and one of the few rooms with windows. Sturdy oak cupboards lined the walls, hanging above several feet worth of countertops. Terracotta coloured tiles covered the floor, in addition to the walls between the cupboards and countertops. Hazel’s father had bought the tiles at a discount, and being the frugal bunny he was, he had not seen the point of getting different tiles for the backsplash.

Hazel had propped her phone up against some cookbooks in the windowsill above the sink. Several paper bags with various vegetables lay on the sturdy kitchen table behind her, and she was in the middle of cutting a head of cabbage.

“My turn to make dinner” she explained, holding up the large kitchen knife. “So I hope you don’t mind me multitasking a little.”

“Not at all,” Tobias said, repositioning himself in the couch to hold his tablet more comfortably. “How many are you cooking for?” He asked, eyeing the already impressive pile of chopped cabbage on the cutting board.

“Oh, just 45. One of my sisters are visiting with her youngest kits,” she said nonchalantly, not looking up to see Tobias’ baffled expression.

As if on que, one of the three doors leading from the kitchen to the common areas flung open, and what Tobias thought looked like a horde of tiny bunnies stormed into the kitchen. Leading the onslaught of bunny kits was Lilly, who was screaming with glee as she held a yellow ball above her head.

Lilly did a sharp U-turn, running between Hazel and the kitchen table, finding just enough time to glance up at Tobias on her mother’s phone screen.

“Hi Toby!” She yelled, before disappearing out of sight, followed by her cousins.

“Lilly!” Hazel said sternly, though with a warm tone in her voice. Lilly was too focused on keeping the others from getting a hold of her ball to listen, and had jumped up on one of the counters in an attempt to get away from her cousins.

“Excuse me one moment,” Hazel said apologetically to Toby, before she as well disappeared out from sight, though he could still hear her.

"Y'all keep out of the kitchen if you ain't helping me!" Hazel scolded good-heartedly, ushering her nieces and nephews out of the kitchen together with Lilly.

Tobias had never noticed the drawl in her voice before. Her vowels were slightly drawn out, and her sentences had become more melodic. Maybe years living and working in the metropolis of Zootopia had polished it away, and it was now slowly resurfacing. He had to smile.

“And you know Gramma’s gonna have your tails if she catches y’all playing ball in the house!”

 _You can take the bunny out of the country, but never the country out of the bunny._ Tobias thought to himself, not able to conceal his amusement.

“Sorry about that,” Hazel said, reappearing on his screen, resuming her chopping. “They’re an energetic bunch.”

Hazel noticed him smiling and paused her chopping to look up at the phone she had propped up in front of her.

"What?"

"Nothing," Tobias said, though he was still smiling. Hazel raised a questioning eyebrow at him, the movement being mimicked by her ears, as one lifted halfway with her eyebrow.

"Bunnyburrow suites you," he said with a shrug. "You seem happy"

Hazel gave a small smile, resuming her meticulous chopping of cabbage.

"I'm not going to lie, I like it here. It's home, it’s where I always imagined I would eventually move back to and settle down, but.." She kept her eyes on the chopping, not wanting to meet Tobias' eyes on her screen. "Not under these circumstances," she finished in a lowered voice, scoping the chopped cabbage in the boiling water she had ready on the stove.

Tobias remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"How are you holding up? Is work alright?" Hazel asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Fine, I guess," Tobias said with a sigh. "I just keep to myself, eat lunch at my desk, go home and stay away from crowds."

"Doesn’t sound fine," Hazel said, looking at Tobias face on the small screen. "I worry about you, every day," she added, putting the chopping board in the sink. "My heart jumps at every news update"

Tobias ears grew warm, as they did every time she in some way revealed that she cared about him. He just hoped it was just as much as he cared about her.

"I'm fine, Hazel, I'm just glad you and Lilly got out."

Every day he could feel the tension growing, like a rubber band that was minutes away from snapping. The political climate was toxic; Mayor Bellwether tried keeping the parties in check, but as of now, the quarantine was inevitable. There had not been an attack in a few days, but Tobias knew that as soon as one did, the Mayor would bring down the quarantine hard and mercilessly. He did not wish for Hazel and Lilly to be there when that chaos broke loose.

Still, he felt hollow. He had not realized just how much their meetings meant to him, how much their interaction had given him some feeling of normality. Without it, the reality of the situation and uncertainty of the future made his days gloomy and monotone. Seeing their faces and hearing their voices through his i-Paw tablet was a poor substitution. He missed having them close. Though he had only gotten to hold Hazel a precious few times, he ached for it more than ever. Wishing with every fibre of his body to hold her in his arms again.

"I miss you," he said, his voice soft and low. He could not see anyone else in the kitchen with her, but was mindful of big ears somewhere out of sight.

"I miss you too," Hazel replied lowering her voice to match his. "I- I knew I was going to, but I didn't realize how much or that I-I would feel..." Hazel was stuttering, nervously running her paws over her ears, draping them over her left shoulder.

"I know," Tobias said.

Hazel gave him a nervous smile, continuously smoothing her paws over her ears. She wanted to say so much, to express how complicated this was, even if it could be so easy had they not been who they were, and had it not happened now. But every attempt she made at forming a sentence boiled down to nothing before she could express it.

She ended up laughing in frustration, letting out a low sigh:

"You're a tiger."

Tobias could not help but laugh with her. Because that was what made this complicated, the proverbial elephant in the room that neither of them had mentioned.

"That I am. A rather big one," he said.

Hazel gave another nervous laugh.  “And I’m a bunny.”

“Yes. A beautiful bunny.”

Hazel could feel her heart jumping in her chest, her ears grew warm and she was sure the insides were blushing to a bright pink. Tobias’ eyes were on her, unwavering and so bright amber it made her cast down her own gaze.

The possibility that this, seeing her on a cold screen, was the only way he would ever see her, made Tobias’ chest ache. The uncertainty of the future pressed on him with a sudden urge to leave nothing unsaid.

“Hazel, I don’t know if this will ever be over, because right now it looks hopeless,” he began, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as if he was jumping from a height that scared him too much to look.

“But I need you to know that I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Hazel’s breath hitched almost soundlessly. Her paws, which had been smoothing down her ears, froze mid movement. Tobias took advantage of her speechlessness, rushing his words before he lost his nerve.

“And I know this is unusual, and that our species- that we are so different- makes this complicated. But if by any miracle, things do go back to normal, and you can come back, would you be willing to try?”

Hazel swore her heart would beat right out of her chest, and she was pressing her clutched paws against it in a feeble attempt to keep in its place. A warm numbness spread out to the very tips of her fingers, and she slowly realised she would need the use of her voice. But it felt as if it was trapped somewhere in the back of her throat.

“Yes,” it came out as nothing more than a whisper, and she repeated herself in fear that Tobias had not heard her the first time. “Yes I would.”

“Really?” Tobias asked hopefully while studying every inch of her face for confirmation. He did not dare to exhale fully, still breathing shallow as he waited for her to repeat her answer.

“Yes,” Hazel repeated for the third time, finding the full use of her voice again. Though still feeling dazed, she did not want to waste another moment.

“Because I love you too.”

Tobias’ face slowly broke into a pure smile, and he laughed. A warm, genuine laugh that poured out of her phone and filled the large kitchen, wrapping itself around her. Hazel could feel a joy she had not felt in months. Even if the kitchen was empty, for a moment, it was as if Tobias was right there, standing beside her on the terracotta-tiled floor.

It was intoxicating, and Hazel could not keep her own bubbling laughter down. It danced around the room, blending harmonically with his deeper tone.

“I think I fell for you the moment you bought me half a gallon of coffee,” she added, not able to hold back a giggle.

Tobias burst out in another fit of laughter, covering his face with his paw for a moment as he re-lived the embarrassment.

For a couple of wonderful minutes, everything was right in the world. The “what if's” of an uncertain future did not exist for a while. They let themselves just be happy, allowing themselves to hope for a future and carefully begin to imagine what it would be like sharing it.

 

An angry hiss from the stove broke through their laughter, making Hazel's ears jump up at an angle before she disappeared of Tobias' screen with an "Oh shoot!"

She came back into view with a pot so large Tobias was actually a little impressed she was able to lift it. She dumped the cabbage into the waiting colander in the sink, sending a cloud of steam up into the air.

"Sorry, I almost overcooked the cabbage," she huffed, shooting an embarrassed smile at Tobias smiling face in the windowsill. The laughter had not quite left her voice.

"I should probably take part of the blame," he chuckled. "I think I distracted you."

"You could say that," she said, looking down at her paws, suddenly feeling shy. "I'll have to start on the carrots."

She took a paper bag from the table behind her and began peeling carrots, all the while smiling and shooting glances at her phone. Tobias just enjoyed watching her in silence for a while. The setting sun was shining through the windows in golden rays, bringing out the fine hairs of bronze in Hazel’s fur.

"Did your parents grow those?" He asked conversationally, wanting to break the silence.

“No, my parents grow cabbage and sweet potatoes,” Hazel answered while peeling the carrots with skilled efficiency.

“Oh.”

“What?” Hazel asked, glancing up at him teasingly. “Did you think all bunny- farmers grew carrots?”

“Of course not, I just-”Tobias began before catching the tone of her voice. He sent her a half smile, shaking his head. “That wasn’t fair, Hazel.”

“I know, sorry,” she chuckled.  
“I actually bought these carrots,” she added, her face falling into contemplation.

“So?” Tobias asked, raising an eyebrow at her expression. Maybe buying carrots instead of growing them carried some kind of stigma he was not aware of. Whatever the reason, it seemed it bothered Hazel a little.

“Do you remember Judy Hopps?” she asked unexpectedly, making Tobias even more confused. The name seemed familiar, but it took him a couple of seconds to place it. It was a name that brought him back to the day everything had taken a turn for the worst.

He had been at work. Kevin had been watching a press conference in relation to the missing mammals case that had been linked to the then Major Lionheart. Tobias had been trying to fix a bug in a rather long code. Annoyed, he had asked Kevin to turn it down, only for the otter to eagerly wave him over to his desk. The young Officer Hopps had just taken the podium, ready to make her statement.

At the time, Kevin had actually been quite the fan of the first ever bunny cop.

“She sets the bar for all us smaller mammals, you know?” Tobias remembered him saying once. “Showing the world we are so much more than _cute_ ”

He had never seen Kevin as upset as he was after that press conference.

“Yea, Officer Hopps” Tobias nodded. “Why do you ask?”  

“I bought these from her”  Hazel said, referring to the carrots.

“She’s in Bunnyburrow?” Tobias had honestly never thought about what happened to her after the whole Lionheart- scandal broke. Then again, he had had enough to worry about during that time.

“She grew up a few farms over,” Hazel said, chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip. “I remember her from when she was just a little kit playing dress-up” she mused. “Never thought she’d actually make it. And today, she just looked so sad and defeated”

Hazel sighed, her shoulders slumping as she looked up at Tobias.

“I’m just glad Lilly didn’t recognize her from TV. I think that would’ve been awkward for everyone.”

“Yea,” Tobias agreed. “I bet she just want to forget being involved in the entire thing.”

He looked at Hazel standing in the warm glow of the country kitchen. The stark contrast to his own cold apartment was almost painful.

“This whole city is a rotting mess  because of it, but I guess it would’ve been regardless” he looked out the windows behind his TV. The sky was turning crimson behind the Zootopian skyline, and Tobias tried his best to not associate the deep red with blood.

“I guess so” Hazel said hesitantly, carefully chopping carrots into perfectly thin slices. “I just wish it wasn’t.”

“I know,” Tobias said, looking at her softly. “But you just made it a little better.”

Hazel cast her eyes down, and Tobias could swear he saw the inside of her ears blushing before she pushed them over her shoulder again.

Their conversation continued loosely for the best part of an hour, often interrupted by longer stretches of silence where Tobias would just watch Hazel go about preparing dinner. Sometimes their eyes would meet, and they shared a smile that quickly turned into laughter for no particular reason.

The bunny kitchen held a lot of cleverly planned solutions to maximize space, and Hazel found herself explaining things to Tobias which to her seemed perfectly normal.  

Tobias found the process of pulling out the different sections of the kitchen table to accommodate the large amount of dinner guests especially fascinating.  The table held several extra plywood boards that fit into different slots, extending the table to run almost the entire length of the kitchen. When Hazel had lived at home, they had two of these tables, and even then she remembered some of her older siblings being seated by the counter.

“I’ll have to call them in for dinner,” Hazel finally said, after finishing setting the table.

“Of course, I should probably have dinner myself,” Tobias said, though a little disappointed that he would have to hang up.

Hazel nodded, suddenly nervous again. “Well, until tomorrow,” she said, looking at him with her paws folded in front of her. They had already said it once, but the words were still so new to her that she could feel her heart racing in anticipation.

“I love you Toby.”

Tobias let out a short breathless laugh. It would take him some time to get used to hearing her say that.

“I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

Tobias rolled over on his back on the couch, his i-Paw resting on his chest as he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes not really focusing on anything. As every night after the curfew, the streets outside his apartment was eerily quiet. The sound of far off police sirens carried through above the rooftops. Tobias closed his eyes, purposefully ignoring them.

He would get the news of another savage attack soon enough anyway, it could wait until morning. Tonight, the only thing he wanted to think about was Hazel. Her voice was playing on repeat in his mind, and he focused all his energy on remembering everything about it, and nothing else.

_I love you Toby._

  
  
  
  



	11. Eleventh meeting

When Tobias had moved into his apartment, one of the first things he bought was a pair of blinds for his bedroom. He adjusted very nicely to a diurnal lifestyle, but the nocturnal part of him still disliked being woken up by the early morning sun.

Blinds could not block out sound however, and Tobias had spent the best part of a half hour awake listening to the street outside his window. It was late Sunday morning, which was usually quite calm, even before the savage crisis. Tobias could be mistaken, but he could swear it sounded as if there were more mammals out and about than normal.

Glancing over at the radio clock on his nightstand, he decided he had postponed getting out of bed for long enough. Over the past weeks, it had become harder and harder for him to find a reason to get out of bed at all on the weekends. Without the obligation of work and office hours, he could find no compelling argument to get up. In the end, the prospect of a good workout and Muzzle Time with Hazel made him swing his legs out from under his blanket.

He paused for a moment on the middle of his bedroom floor, feeling a warmth spread around his heart. He smiled a tiny, careful smile as the memories from yesterday's conversation danced around his brain.

Tobias caught his own reflection in the full length mirror on his wardrobe door. A thin sliver of light on each side of his blinds provided just enough light for him to see himself clearly in the dark bedroom.

"Look at you, smiling like an idiot," he mumbled to the tiger in the mirror. He was standing in nothing but his boxers, his fur a ruffled mess across his torso.  
"An idiot that needs a shower," he concluded, smoothing his paws over the tangled fur on his chest and stomach.

His living room and kitchen was bathed in sunlight, making Tobias blink a few times before his pupils adjusted.

On his way to the fridge, he picked up his phone from its place on the coffee table out of habit. He alway left his phone and iPaw in the living room when he went to bed. Digital distractions made it hard for him to sleep. He would end up browsing until the early hours of the morning, coming to work with bloodshot eyes the next day. Better to just remove the temptation all together.

He had one eye on the milk he was pouring as he checked his phone for updates. His heart sunk in his chest. Eight missed calls from Hazel.  One he could understand, maybe two, but eight missed calls before twelve on a Sunday could not be justified unless something was seriously wrong.

His pulse was beginning to race as he redialed and waited for her to pick up. Maybe she had changed her mind about him, maybe she had felt forced to say it back. Or worse, maybe there had been a savage attack in Bunnyburrow after all, maybe Lilly was hurt-

"Toby!" Hazel's nearly euphoric voice sounded through the phone. In the background, he could make out some commotion and a cackle of other voices talking over each other.

"Hazel, is everything alright?" Tobias asked, not as worried as he had been.

"Everything alright?" Hazel repeated, sounding a little surprised. "Toby, haven't you- Oh! Mom I don't need that- Haven't you heard?"

Tobias had a hard time making out Hazel's voice over the commotion in the background, it sounded as if Hazel was running around while talking to him, her phone scratching against the side of her cheek as she moved around.

"Heard what?" Through his confusion, a small glimmer of hope fluttered to life at the joy in Hazel's voice.

"Pred's don't go savage! They were drugged. With Nighthowlers!" Somehow, the last piece of information seemed important to her, as Hazel's voice went up a few octaves. But Tobias did not catch it, he just stood in shock, not sure if he had heard her right.

"What?" He asked on an exhale.

"Pred's don't turn savage! You can't turn savage Toby. It's on the news! They've arrested Mayor Bellwether, it was all part of some crazy plot. I don't know exactly, -oh please turn on the news Toby!"

Hazel was speaking so fast and high pitched that Tobias had a hard time understanding everything she was saying, but he got the essence of it. He stumbled over his own feet as he hurried over to the TV, pushing several wrong buttons on the controller before he found ZNN.

Over the phone, he could hear Hazel talking to Lilly.

"Sweetie, did you remember your toothbrush? And where did you put your jacket?"

Tobias could hear the distinct sound of zippers closing, and he suddenly understood that the commotion was Hazel hurriedly packing.

"-and we will keep you updated on the case as it unfolds. Now to Steve with the weather" Fabienne Growly finished, just as Tobias switched the channels.

Tobias quickly reached for his iPaw, tapping furiously at the screen to get to the news channel’s  website.  

“Toby? Are you there?” Hazel asked, but Tobias could not answer.

He was skimming through articles, not really believing what he was reading. The police had confiscated a modified dart-gun from Mayor Bellewether, created to shoot round capsules containing a powerful drug made from a flower commonly known as Nighthowler. Several of these guns were believed to have been created for the sole purpose of shooting predators.

The powerful drug would have an immediate effect once it absorbed through the skin. And not just on predators. Any mammal exposed to the drug would have the same reaction, it was only because Bellewether had exclusively targeted predators that it had seemed as if only they could go savage, which had been the whole point. 

Tobias sat dumbfounded. A confusing mix of relief and anger washed through him, rendering him speechless.

“Toby?” Hazel repeated, her voice vary.

“Yeah, sorry Hazel- I just- This is a bit much too take in right now,” Tobias breathed, not able to take his eyes of his iPaw.

“I know,” Hazel’s initial joy and excitement was subdued by Tobias’ reaction. “Toby, you know I never believed that you-”

“Yes you did,” Tobias cut her off harshly, the turmoil of feelings inside him fighting for dominance over the other.  “In the beginning you did.”

Tobias remembered the first day on the bus. Hazel’s scared eyes, high ears and protective arm around Lilly.  He knew it was wrong to hold that against her now, to circle back after everything that had happened after. But he could not help the stab in his chest feeling fresh again.

Hazel did not know what to say. He was right. She had been scared in the beginning, she had to control her own fear. But she had changed. Slowly at first, but she had, and now everything was changed. She felt her throat tighten, her words stuck while she stood motionless in the middle of the commotion of her mother and siblings helping her pack.

“But so did I,” Tobias said, finally seeing sense through the turmoil. He had been just as convinced that he could turn savage at any moment. He remembered his own fear of losing control and lashing out.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, Toby. I’m sorry,” Hazel said timidly. “I didn’t think about how you must feel about this, I was just so happy” Hazel apologized.

“Please, be happy,” Tobias put his iPaw down, covering his eyes with his paw. He hated the tinge of hurt in her voice, knowing he had caused it.  
“I want you to be happy Hazel. I just feel so-” he clutched his paw in a fist around the fur on the top of his head, searching for the words to describe the sickening feeling to his stomach.

“I feel so stupid, so fooled, so-” Tobias looked up at the TV in time to see the images of Mayor Bellwether being led handcuffed down the steps of the Natural History Museum, closely followed by the city’s chief of police.  
“ _Betrayed,_ ” he concluded.

“Toby...” In lack of anything better to say, Hazel said the first words that came to her mind.  
“I love you.”

From the corner of her eye, Hazel could see her mother’s ears perk up. Her golden brown eyes turned towards her, burning with curiosity. Hazel ignored her. She was not ready to have that conversation just yet.

“I love you too,” Tobias said. Picking up on the concern in her voice, he added: “That doesn’t change”

“Will you meet us at the station?” Hazel asked carefully. She glanced down at her small wrist watch, realising they would have to hurry to catch the train.

“You’re leaving now?” Tobias asked, a little surprised.

“Train leaves in under 30 minutes,” Hazel explained. “I would’ve gotten on an earlier one, but it was fully booked already. I wanted to get back to you as soon as I heard the news”

Tobias chuckled warmly, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

“I know it’s short notice,” she began, suddenly worried he might think her a little rash.

“Not at all!” He quickly assured her, feeling the initial turmoil of emotions giving way to pure excitement.    
“I’ll meet you at the station, I’ll be there when you arrive. I just really need a shower first.”

The last part was more of a realisation as he looked down the tangled mess that was his fur, and he was not aware he had said it out loud before Hazel laughed.

Tobias could not do much but laugh sheepishly with her. “Right, I’ll just got then,” he said, clearing his throat.

“You do that,” she chuckled.  “See you soon Toby.”  
“Yeah, I’ll see you.”

 

Tobias sat motionless with his phone in one paw, iPaw in the other, watching the TV in amazement. Then, as if someone had touched his tail with the end of a live wire, he flew up, leaping over the back of his couch. His electronics flew haphazardly around his living room as he beelined for the bathroom, barely taking the time to remove his boxers before jumping in the shower.     

 

* * *

 

Hazel was fidgeting nervously with the hem of her dress, suddenly wishing she had worn something more casual. The peach coloured sundress had seemed very fitting as she left her parent’s house in Bunnyburrow, but as the train swiftly approached Zootopia, she felt hopelessly overdressed. She should at the very least have worn a cardigan.

Lilly had wanted to wear “something pretty for Toby” as well, and was wearing her favourite white sundress  with yellow flowers. She was nodding her head along to a music video on Hazel’s phone, not at all affected by the nervous anticipation that had Hazel making creases in the fabric of her dress.

Her heart was racing in her chest like she was a nervous teenager again. It was pulling her relentlessly towards Tobias, aching to be near him again. At the same time she was anxious, uncertain of what to expect. They had not seen each other for weeks, and yesterday he had confessed that he loved her, that he wanted to try at a relationship. But it had all been under the pretence that they might never get the chance to try, and now they did.

Hazel looked out at the train window, wondering if maybe this was happening to fast. But she quickly disregarded that thought, as the landscape speeding by outside did not seem to speed by fast enough.

 

* * *

 

He should have brought flowers. Tobias had arrived on the platform of tracks 8 and 9 almost thirty minutes early, giving him plenty of time to study other waiting mammals. A train from the Meadowlands was about to arrive on platform 9, and the platform was filled with waiting mammals.

Almost everyone was holding something in their hooves and paws, leaving Tobias as one of the few without flowers or some other sort of gift. A giraffe was anxiously checking his watch every other second, tilting his expensive looking bouquet of roses every time he did.

The atmosphere in the station was positively electric with relief and anticipation. Before today, Tobias had felt as if he had been walking on glass that had been ready to break at any minute. Now, it was as if the entire city had exhaled and the tension had melted away. On his way to the station he had passed mammals in a state of euphoria, dancing in the streets. Someone had opened a fire hydrant and children were running through the water screaming with joy.

Finally, after months of hostility and fear as a result of lies and deception, the inhabitants of Zootopia could relax.

Tobias on the other hand, could not relax. His heart was beating like a drum in his chest and his palms were tingling with anticipation. He realised he had no idea how to act when Hazel arrived. The nature of their relationship had changed while she was away, and now he found himself lost.

Should he hug her? Could he kiss her? He covered his eyes with his paw, barely keeping himself from groaning out loud at the thought of it.

He suddenly wished they had talked more about how they would solve these things. Interspecies relationships were one thing. Pred-prey relationships something else entirely, not to mention the size difference between them.

Prejudices were not washed away in a day, and he had no illusions when it came to the kind of reactions their relationship would get. Before today, he had not cared much. Mostly because every precious little moment had felt as if it could never last, as if there was no chance of anything permanent anyway.

But now that there was a chance, he had no idea how to proceed, and it made him more nervous than he had ever been before. He glanced impatiently up at the arrivals board, and there was still 20 minutes before the train from Bunnyburrow would arrive.

To the right of him, a group of construction workers caught his attention. They were still in their hard hats and overalls, and had a rolled up home-made banner and a chase of beers between them. One of them, a buff looking brown bear, had already opened a bottle and was sipping it while looking at the same arrivals board. He turned a little, catching Tobias looking at them. 

Before Tobias could look away, he raised his beer in a toast, giving him a wide smile. Tobias nodded his head back, smiling carefully as his nervousness eased a little.

Just as the train from the Meadowlands rolled into the station, a scrawny weasel in a white tank top and black shorts came running down the escalator. He halted to a stop on the platform with his paws on his knees, panting heavily. The bouquet of delicate white flowers he was holding looked a little worse for wear.

The train doors slid open, and the group of construction workers erupted in cheers as a field mouse stepped out of the train.

“You guys gotta be kidding me,” the field mouse squeaked a little embarrassed as his work buddies held up their banner. It read in big green letters: **Welcome back Max!**

But he smiled from ear to ear as a beaver gave him a pat on the back, almost knocking him over.

The big bear handed him a mouse- sized bottle of beer, gingerly holding it between his index- and thumb claw.

“Hasn't been the same without ya Max,” he rumbled.

“Yeah,” chimed the beaver in. “It’s been hell tryna get the electric done without ya. Boss’ been drivin’ us crazy.”

The group made their way through the crowded platform, cheerfully chatting between themselves. They passed two uniformed police officers who purposefully ignored their public drinking. The atmosphere in the station seemed to have rubbed off on them.

Tobias found that it affected him as well. There was a distinct feeling of unity. They were in this together, and as he looked around himself at the mammals on the platform greeting their friends and loved ones, he realised a lot of them were in a similar situation as him.

The anxious giraffe had been joined by his wife and daughter, both impeccably dressed in designer coats. The daughter had her arm in a sling, and Tobias tried not to wonder how that had happened.

 

The platform was becoming less crowded as the train was emptied of passengers. Tobias noticed that the weasel that had sprinted into the platform last minute was still standing alone, nervously shifting his weight from side to side.  He was anxiously scanning the few remaining passengers still disembarking. Apart from a few exceptions, Tobias and the weasel were the only predators waiting on the platform.

Tobias found that watching the nervous weasel distracted him from his own nervousness. It was in a strange way comforting seeing someone in the same state as himself.

“Dukey-pie!” A shrill voice carried over the platform, making the weasel spin around.

Curious, Tobias turned to see a chipmunk in a green crop-top and high-waisted skinny jeans running towards the weasel. A pair of large golden hoop earrings danced around her head as she dodged between the other mammals on the platform.

Tobias watched in fascination as she abandoned her hot-pink suitcase a few paces from the weasel. Running straight for him, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around the weasels waist.

‘Dukey-pie’ looked about to mouth a protest when the chipmunk, to the onlookers surprise, pressed her lips to his without hesitation.

Tobias could see how the weasels eyes widened and darted around, clearly nervous about the reactions to this very public show of interspecies affection. But then the chipmunk quite passionately pressed her tongue into his mouth, demanding his full attention.

 

Tobias did not very often feel bothered by couples making out in public, but as the weasel groaned and firmly grabbed his girlfriend’s behind, he felt compelled to look away. Instead he, for obvious reasons, glanced around to gauge the reactions of the mammals around them.

A few were staring in shock. An elderly pig looked especially appalled, firmly holding her husband’s arm as if she needed physical support. But for the most part, everyone was trying very hard not to look at the odd couple, who were finally finishing their make out session.

“Aww! Those for me, Dukey-pie?” The chipmunk looked at the flowers her boyfriend was holding. She still had her legs wrapped around his waist, and Tobias got the feeling that this was something she did often. It was an effective way to compensate for their height difference.

“Yeah,” the weasel cleared his throat. “I know they ain’t daisies, but I couldn’t find any,” he said apologetically.

The chipmunk did not seem to mind the fact, and quickly jumped back down. She held the flowers with both paws, giving them a long sniff before suddenly looking up at the weasel with a suspicious look in her eyes.

“Dukey-pie” she began, putting her paws on her hips. “You haven’t stolen these flowers, have you?”

Tobias could not be sure, as he was only watching them from the corner of his eye, but he thought he saw a flash of regret on the weasel’s face.

“Daisy,” he said, looking down at his girlfriend. “I promise ya, I ain’t never stealin’ ever again. Especially not flowers, or bulbs, not even a frickin’ sunflower seed.”

Daisy looked a little surprised at her boyfriend’s sudden sincerity.

“You mean in Duke?” She asked hesitantly, studying him intently. “No more stealing?”

“No more stealin’.” he repeated.

Daisy’s face broke into a smile.

“Aww, Dukey-pie! I’m so proud of you!”

For a moment, Tobias was afraid she would pounce on him again. But instead she pulled him down by his tank top to get him to her level, giving him another loving kiss.

“My Dukey-pie living an honest life.” she cooed.

“Hey, I said I was done stealin’.” The weasel said, suddenly getting a sly glint in his eye. “I didn’t say nothin’ bout bootleggin’ or other side hustles.”

Daisy let out a shocked, angry squeal. She was still holding Duke down by his tank top, and now she began whacking him over the head with the flowers, making white petals fly everywhere.

“You sly, sneaky, shifty weasel!” She squealed, though not quite managing to hide her giggle. “I can’t believe you!”

Duke, now clearly more at ease with the whole public show of affection thing, placed his paws around her middle and pulled her into him.

“Well, ya sweet little self will just have ta live with it,” he smirked down at her.

Daisy gave him one last smack with what was left of the flowers, before freeing herself from his grip. Without another word, she turned and walked back to her suitcase, swaying her hips very deliberately as she did.

Duke’s confident smirk faded as he watched his girlfriend walk away, and a look of uncertainty played across his face.

It quickly melted away when Daisy shot him a challenging look over her shoulder while she rolled her suitcase towards the escalators.

“You coming?”

Duke grinned like an idiot, jogging after her to catch up. He mockingly saluted the two police officers as he passed, winking at them before joining Daisy on the escalator.

The couple disappeared out of sight, leaving Tobias and the others that had been close enough to witness their encounter baffled on the platform.

“Well,” Tobias heard an antelope saying to another. “That’s not something you see every day.”

“This isn’t every day,” his buddy answered, giving him a meaningful look.

 

The generic voice announced the arrival of the train from Bunnyburrow, and Tobias suddenly felt nervous again. He was slightly jealous of the young chipmunk’s total disregard of what others might think of her behaviour. He wished he could say the same. Not that he thought Hazel would attempt a similar stunt. The idea made heat rise to his cheeks and he self consciously ran his paw through the fur on his head, tugging at his ears. He would have to keep himself together.

The train arrived at the station with the same smooth electrical buzz as the day they had left, but this time Tobias welcomed the sound. The doors slid open, and the platform was engulfed in happy voices greeting the arrivals. All around him scenes of reunitement unfolded. The pictures taken at this station today would most likely end up in the history books, and he should probably have taken a moment to memorise it, but the entire platform seemed to fall out of focus as a beige bunny in a beautiful peach sundress stepped off the train.

He had had all the best intentions to stay calm and collected. But as a pair of hazel eyes met his through the crowd, all previous intentions were forgotten. 

Tobias ran.

If Hazel had been nervous before, it was all washed away as Tobias came sprinting towards her. With Lilly in one paw and her suitcase in the other, she began running to meet him. Lilly quickly outran her mother however, and Hazel had to abandon her suitcase to keep up.

“Toby!” Lilly joyfully called out while dodging between legs of larger mammals, pulling her mother behind her. Hazel was grateful for Lilly’s firm little paw in her own leading the way, because her vision was becoming increasingly blurred by tears.

It took everything in Tobias to keep from pushing innocent bystanders out of the way as he ran through the crowd.  

“Toby!” Lilly happily reached her free paw towards him, and Tobias felt his legs give in. He fell to his knees so hard they would probably be bruised for weeks, but the pain was just a faint throbbing as the two bunnies ran straight into his arms.

As Hazel felt Tobias’ strong arms close around her, she could not help it anymore, and her entire body shook in a happy sob. Her tears flowed freely as she pressed her face into the soft fur at the base of his neck.

Tobias never wanted to let go. He felt Hazel’s paws closing around his neck and Lilly hugging as much of his chest as she could reach around and he let out a mix between a sob and laugh. He buried his nose in the fur on top of Hazel’s head and drew her scent down to the bottom of his lungs in one deep desperate inhale.

“Why are you crying?” Lilly looked concerned over at her mother, then up at Tobias whose eyes had began to turn watery.

“I’m just so happy sweetie,” Hazel said, drying her tears as she loosened her embrace to look at her daughter. “Mom is crying because she’s happy.”

“Yeah,” Tobias agreed, feeling his voice growing thick and unsteady. “Very happy.”

He carefully caught Hazel’s chin between his thumb-and index finger, properly looking into her eyes for the first time since she had gotten off the train.

There was a pull there that was almost impossible to resist, and Tobias felt his head inch forward.

Hazel felt like she was about to burn up under Tobias’ intense amber eyes. She did not mean to, but she realised what he was about to do and felt a tinge of panic.  

Hazel’s nose twitched, almost unnoticeable, but enough to give Tobias pause. He gave her a small understanding smile, and instead placed a soft kiss on her tear stained cheek.

“It can wait,” he whispered.

Hazel reached her paws up to hold his head in place as she placed her forehead against his.

“Sorry, this suddenly happened a little fast,” she whispered back, laughing a little at her own sudden insecurity.

“I know.” Tobias purred, carefully running his paw over her ears. He loved the way it made her relax into him. “But it’s happening.”

“Yeah,” Hazel smiled, leaning into his touch. “It is.”

“What are you talking about?” Lilly asked a little impatiently, disliking being left out of the grown ups conversation.

“Nothing, sweetie,” Hazel said, reluctantly freeing herself from Tobias’ embrace. “Let’s go home.”

 

Tobias smiled down at Lilly as Hazel hurriedly went back to retrieve her suitcase.

“You wanna ride, little Lady?” He asked her, offering his paw for her to step on.

“Yes!” Lilly beamed, but then motioned for him to get up. Tobias complied, standing up to his full height.

“Toby, watch this!” Lilly carefully measured her steps as she walked backwards, and after taking a deep breath, she ran and jumped straight up into the air.

In one impressive leap, she landed with both feet on Tobias’ shoulder, though she had to grab his ear to keep herself steady.

“Hey!” Tobias exclaimed. “Well done, you didn’t need any help at all!”

Lilly sat down on his shoulder and proudly straightened the skirt of her dress.  
“I practiced in the barn everyday,” she said, sounding rather pleased with herself.

Hazel came back with her suitcase, and Tobias picked it up, carrying it with two fingers through the handle. Without a word, Hazel reached up and grabbed his free paw. Tobias looked down at her with a warm smile, closing his paw firmly around hers.

 The odd trio made their way up the escalators, turning quite a few heads as they went. The elderly pig looked like she was about to have a stroke, but in that moment Tobias was too happy to care.

 

* * *

 

It had taken tremendous organisational effort, and even some political pressure to cut through the red tape, but in the course of the 24 hours after the news of the Nighthowlers broke, the middle of Savanna Central Park had been transformed into a large concert arena.

The two story circular stage had been built in the middle of the large pond in the center of the park. Some creative technician had figured out how to use the existing fountain in the pond to create water-effects to go along with the light show.  To top it all off, the entire arena was circled by large screens, both pointing inward and outward, ensuring that mammals on the outside also could follow the show inside.

Gazelle’s announcement to hold a free celebratory concert had thrown the already ecstatic city of Zootopia into pure ecstasy. Almost every available billboard space in the city had been dedicated to the singer, and the hashtag _#gazelleinthepark_ had reached over 44 000 posts in under an hour.  

Lilly had decided to throw the tantrum of the century if she was not allowed to go, regardless of the fact that she was too old for tantrums. Which turned out to not be necessary, as Hazel and Tobias had decided to take her even before she had the time to ask. 

As Gazelle appeared on stage in a flash of sparkles and stage lights, Lilly was happily perched on her usual spot on Tobias shoulder, cheering along as the audience erupted in screams and whistles.

When the first tunes of _Try Everything_ sounded through the speakers, and the sparkling tiger dancers paraded out on the stage, Lilly was lost in the show.

“You know, you would see better if you let me lift you up,” Tobias said over the music, his deep baritone carrying well through the noise.

“I’m too old to sit on guy’s shoulders in concerts,” Hazel laughed, shaking her head little.

“Doesn't have to be my shoulder,” Tobias replied. He held his arm out with his elbow bent, as if he was offering her his arm for a walk.

Hazel shook her head again, but Tobias stood his ground, raising a challenging eyebrow at her.

“Alright, alright,” she chuckled, bending her knees.

She jumped up, and with the grace rivaling that of a cat she twisted in the air just as she was on the way down again, landing softly on Tobias’ forearm. He actually looked quite impressed as she sat down and neatly crossed her ankles.  She placed a gentle paw on the back of his neck for support, offering him a small smile.

Tobias held his arm at an angle, allowing Hazel to lean against his bicep. Her knee was resting against his chest, and she could feel Tobias’ steady heartbeat against it.

“Put your paws in the air! Come on!” Gazelle danced across the stage, encouraging her fans.

Lilly raised both her paws immediately, laughing with glee as Gazelle continued her performance.  

“ _Look how far you’ve come,_  
_You filled your heart with love,_ _  
_ Baby you’ve done enough that will cut your breath.”

Hazel glanced over at her fist-pumping daughter, laughing happily at the look of pure joy on Lilly’s face. She was so incredibly grateful for this moment, for her daughter being allowed to be carefree and happy, and for Tobias being unharmed and safe.

As if he could hear her thoughts, he turned his head towards her with a warm smile that made her heart beat a little faster. With the way he was holding her, they were almost at eye level with each other. Hazel testingly let her fingers run through the fur on the side of his neck, all the way up to his jawline.

“ _No I won’t leave._ ”

Tobias’ eyelids were becoming heavy, and even though Hazel could not hear him purring, she felt it vibrating through her.

“ _I wanna try everything.”_

He did not move, but Hazel could feel his heartbeat quicken as she carefully lifted her other paw up to his cheek. The strobe lights were flashing over the audience, making Tobias’ eyes light up a bright amber everytime it went over them. It was almost hypnotic.  

_“I wanna try even though I could fail.”_

Hazel could feel Tobias’ hot breath play through the fur on her face as she leaned towards him. He was so incredibly warm, and Hazel felt herself helplessly being drawn into him. The tips of their noses touched, and Hazel allowed her eyes to glide shut.

_“Try everything.”_

Tobias let his lips brush lightly over hers, testingly lingering a little longer each time. Lights from the show made white and purple colours dance behind her eyelids. The music began to build up again, and Hazel was being carried up with it.

In one swift motion, Hazel slipped her paws around Tobias’ neck, firmly pressing her lips against his. She felt him breathe in sharply as she did, but the next second he deflated completely, softening to her touch.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tobias was aware of a new song beginning to play. Lilly’s happy laughter registered at the edge of his consciousness, but it felt as if everything was happening far away from him.

The only thing he was aware of at that moment was Hazel. The only thing he could feel was the way she held on to his fur, and the way her lips pressed against his.

Suddenly, Tobias knew that whatever the world chose to throw at them after this did not matter because of that one simple fact:

He loved her, and she loved him back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this, and for commenting on the way. It has been a fantastic experience, and a memorable debut to the world of fanfiction!
> 
> Now, if you are sad this is over, I hope this news will cheer you up: There will be a comic version of The Meetings!   
> Leggowaffles over on Tumblr is in the middle of working on it as we speak! I'm seriously so eciteded!
> 
> I hope you all think this a worthy ending to the story, and again, thank you for reading The Meetings!


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